Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave
by tiffster
Summary: Josephine has always been obsessed with the movie Titanic, but when she gets transported back in time onto the famous ship, she has no memory of the movie and no memory of how she got there!
1. Music to Drown By

Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave

**Note**: I do not own any of the characters belonging to "Titanic". Also, for this story I am making Cal a little younger than he was in the movie. I'm making him 24.

**Chapter One**

**Music to Drown By**

Josephine Campbell had been driving for 3 hours straight. She was exhausted, but her destination kept her going. That destination was Princeton. She didn't go to Princeton. She was still in high school, a senior to be exact, but even if she was in college, Josephine would certainly never be able to go to Princeton. She lacked the knowledge and the fortune. Josephine would be going to community college after graduation.

The reason for the drive to Princeton was simple. Josephine's boyfriend, Calvin Hopkins went there. Calvin was not lacking in knowledge or fortune. Actually, Calvin wasn't really her boyfriend. Josephine had broken it off 3 weeks ago. She was getting tired of Calvin's arrogant and snobbish was. He was always acting better than everyone else. However, in spite of Calvin's idiosyncrasies, Josephine realized that she still loved him. Sure, Calvin's pride got annoying, but his caring and loving nature greatly eclipsed his arrogance.

When Josephine broke up with him, she could tell it took him by surprise. She felt like a doctor delivering bad news to a patient. Calvin tried to hide his pain, but Josephine could tell his heart was breaking, and she was the reason why. They had been dating for two years, and Josephine threw it all away because of her own stupidity. It was through careful thought and deliberation that Josephine realized she didn't break up with Calvin because of him but because of her. Josephine had thought that she wasn't good enough for Calvin. That he would eventually dump her for some Princeton girl. How silly she had been! Calvin loved her, and she left him because of her stupid insecurities.

This insecure behavior wasn't like Josephine. She was usually so sure of herself. It was her fiery nature that had first drawn Calvin to her. A lot of people sucked up to Calvin because of his money, but Josephine wasn't impressed by his fortune. She treated him like everyone else, probably worse, and that fascinated Calvin. That fascination eventually grew to love. Before she knew it, Josephine grew to love him too.

So, Josephine was driving to Princeton to see Calvin and win him back, if he would still have her. She knew Calvin would still love her, but his stupid pride might convince him otherwise. Josephine was praying it wouldn't. She missed him so much it hurt.

Josephine was taking advantage of the weekend to make the long drive to Princeton. She had told her parents she was spending the weekend with her best friend Brooke. She had to lie because her parents would never allow her to make the four hour drive to Princeton.

Josephine was beginning to feel sleepy.

'Maybe some music will help wake me up,' she thought.

She popped in the "Titanic" soundtrack. To anyone else, it would seem like a weird choice of music, but Josephine was obsessed with the movie "Titanic'. She had first seen it when she was in the fourth grade and since then had probably seen it at least a hundred times. When everyone else got over "Titanic-mania", Josephine was still in love with it. Brooke questioned her fondness saying, "How can you still be enamored with that silly movie?" Josephine replied with her usual conviction, "Because I love Titanic, and true love lasts a lifetime," and that settled that.

Normally, Josephine was embarrassed to tell people about her "Titanic" fixation. When she first told Brooke about it she said, "It was a good movie when I first saw it, but I'm kind of over it now." Josephine didn't mind that Brooke didn't care about her favorite movie. She and Brooke had been friends since elementary school, and they were always extremely honest with each other. Josephine recalled another one of these honest conversations. It was when Josephine had told Brooke that she reminded her of a female version of Jack Dawson.

"You both love to draw," she had said. "And you both take life as it comes at you."

Brooke rolled her eyes and said, "Josephine, I want to be _with_ Jack Dawson, not be him." That was one thing they could agree on, Jack Dawson would make a great boyfriend.

The reply Josephine got when she told Calvin about her love for "Titanic" was different. He had said it was an excellent movie. He even confessed that he had cried the first time he saw it! That was one of the things Josephine loved about Calvin. Outwardly, he seemed impassive, but on the inside, he was sensitive enough to cry over a movie. He was her Mr. Darcy to her Elizabeth Bennet, and Josephine hoped that just like in the Jane Austen classic, she and Calvin would live happily ever after.

Josephine was getting closer to Princeton and closer to Calvin, but she was still no closer to feeling less sleepy. She turned up the music and willed herself to keep her sea-blue eyes open. Suddenly, there was a bright light and then…nothing.

***

_Loneliness. What did I do wrong?_

Well that's the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed! More to come, but please **R&R**! I won't continue without any reviews!


	2. The Ship of Broken Dreams

**IMPORTANT: The italicized words at the end of each chapter are ****not**** the thoughts of Josephine Campbell. They are the thoughts of another person that will be revealed near the end of the story. Sorry for any confusion.**

**Chapter Two: The Ship of Broken Dreams**

Josephine woke up with an excruciating headache. She surveyed her surroundings and found that she was in a bed, a bunk bed by the looks of it, and she was on the bottom half. She sat up and the act caused a sharp pain to sear through her head. It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck inside her brain. Luckily, the pain quickly subsided. Upon further inspection, Josephine found that she was in a small undecorated room.

'Where am I?' wondered Josephine. 'Maybe I checked into a hotel and don't remember doing it because I was so sleepy. But since when do hotel rooms have bunk beds?'

Before she could think any further, the door opened to reveal a young woman with buttery blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. Josephine was immediately jealous of the woman's beautiful golden locks. Josephine had tried in vain to dye her ebony hair blonde but instead ended up with hideous orange hair. Calvin had laughed uncontrollably when he first saw it. He said she looked like a pumpkin, and even after Josephine had dyed her hair back to its original color, he still called her "pumpkin," a nickname which she actually grew to love.

Brooke had laughed even harder when she saw Josephine's pumpkin orange hair. "Omigosh, it's horrendous," Brooke had said. "Why would you want to dye your hair blonde anyway? Your dark hair is your best feature. It makes your blue eyes pop. They sparkle like the Heart of the Ocean!"

Brooke loved to tease Josephine about her Titanic addiction, but Josephine didn't mind that Brooke didn't care about her favorite movie. She and Brooke were always extremely honest with each other.

"Oh," the woman said with a Norwegian accent, "You're finally up. We haven't been formally introduced. My name is Helga Dahl."

Josephine was too busy staring at Helga to realize she should introduce herself too. Helga was wearing a drab gray dress, but it wasn't the color of the dress that was causing Josephine to stare. It was the style. Helga was dressed like a 3rd class girl from the early 1900s.

Josephine looked up at Helga hoping she would explain her strange attire, but Helga just stared expectantly at Josephine. It was then that she realized she needed to introduce herself.

"I'm sorry. My name is Josephine Campbell."

Helga smiled then walked into the room over to a wooden nightstand and picked up a book. "I was just came back to get my book. I just love to read."

Josephine nodded. "Yeah, me too…erm…Helga, where am I?"

Helga stared at her like she had just said, "Columbus got it wrong. The Earth is actually flat." Then Helga did something unexpected, she laughed. Josephine, in her confusion, laughed too. The laughter died down and Helga said, "You'd better hurry up before they stop serving breakfast." Then she left. Josephine didn't know what else to do, so she left too, muttering to herself.

"This is crazy, completely crazy. I was obviously kidnapped and sent to a mental institution. A frikkin' mental institution!"

In her frustration, Josephine accidentally collided into a young man. Josephine quickly realized he was an extremely good-looking young man. He had sandy brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Josephine felt like she could dive into those endless ocean-like eyes.

"So sorry. That was totally my fault," Josephine said.

The man smiled and said, "Some of the people on this ship are a bit eccentric, but I can assure you this is not a mental institution."

Josephine smiled nervously. "Wait, did you say this is a ship?" she asked.

"Of course."

"How is that possible? How did I even get here?"

"Well, I'm assuming you bought a ticket and then proceeded to make your way on board," he stated.

"No, that's just the thing. I didn't buy a ticket, and I didn't proceed on board. I was driving to Princeton, and the next thing I know, I wake up in this bed, and now you're telling me I'm on a ship."

"You are on a ship. If you don't believe me, I can prove it to you. Follow me."

Josephine followed him until they made their way on deck. Josephine found herself looking out at the ocean with the young man. "I can't believe it," Josephine said, "I really am on a ship."

Josephine glanced over at the man. He was staring pensively into the ocean. "I know what you must be thinking. 'This girl must be completely nutso!'"

The man stared at Josephine. "No, no. That's not what I was thinking. What I was thinking was what could've happened to this girl to make her not remember where she was?"

"Yeah…what could've happened to me?"

They were both quiet for awhile. Josephine broke the silence. "What's your name?"

"Jack Dawson."

"Your name sounds so familiar. Have I met you before?" Josephine couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen this man before.

"No. I would remember someone like you."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Definitely a good thing."

"Josephine smiled. "My name's Josephine Campbell."

"Like the song."

"What song?"

"You know. 'Come Josephine in my flying machine,'" he sang.

"That sounds like a really silly song," she chuckled.

"Well, it's only one the most popular songs right now. How could you not have heard it?"

"I think I've heard it. It sounds familiar…I guess." The song did sound familiar to Josephine. 'But why?' she wondered.

"Anyway, what's the name of this ship?" she asked.

"Titanic."

"What?!" cried Josephine. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'How could this be happening? Why could this be happening?'

"This is so warped," Josephine said to herself.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little sea sick I guess…could you tell me what the date is?"

"April 10th."

"Four more days," Josephine whispered to herself. "I'm sorry Jack, but I think I'd better rest for awhile."

"That's alright. Maybe I'll see you later at lunch."

"Yeah…maybe."

As Josephine walked back to her room, she found it hard to look at the other passengers. After all, most of them would be dead in five days.

'These poor people,' thought Josephine, 'they think they're on the ship of dreams, but I know better. This is the ship of broken dreams. The ship of nightmares.'

***

_My phone rings. Who could it be?_


	3. The Worst

**Chapter 3: The Worst**

Back in her room, Josephine discovered another surprise. She was wearing old fashioned clothes just like Helga's. Well, not just like Helga's. Josephine's were blue, her favorite color. Due to the confusion of the day's events Josephine hadn't noticed the change of clothes.

'How is this possible,' she wondered.

Josephine walked over to the mirror that was in the room and stared at her reflection, as if making sure it was real. It was real, and Josephine knew that she was really on the Titanic.

'What am I going to do?'

Well, she knew what she wasn't going to do. She wasn't going to change anything. She was going to let the Titanic hit the iceberg and sink. It seemed inhumane, but Josephine had read enough books about people who would go back in time to change things for the better only to inadvertently change them for the worse. She knew it wasn't wise to mess with time, and so, Josephine would let things play out the way time intended them to.

'In the meantime,' thought Josephine, 'I think I should just enjoy the Titanic before the only thing left to enjoy it is the ocean floor.'

Later that evening, after dinner was over, the steerage passengers gathered in the General Room, Josephine among them. The loud, boisterous room was the social gathering spot for the 3rd class. There were people everywhere. Kids were running around playing tag. Mothers were trying to get those same kids to behave. Several languages were being spoken, and everyone seemed to know someone. She spotted Helga sitting with a young man and proceeded to make her way toward them.

"Hi, Helga," she said.

"Josephine! Hi!" Helga pointed to the man next to her. "This is Fabrizio De Rossi." Fabrizio had hair as dark as Josephine's and eyes to match. He was very familiar looking and very cute. She could see why Helga was talking to him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Josephine Campbell." They shook hands.

"Josephine is my roommate," Helga said to Fabrizio. "She has quite the sense of humor. Earlier today, she actually asked me where she was. As if she didn't know she was on the ship of dreams!"

'Wanna bet,' thought Josephine.

Fabrizio spoke up in an Italian accent. "Well, since this is the ship of dreams, maybe Josephine thought she was dreaming and wasn't really on the Titanic, yes?"

"Yeah, something like that," replied Josephine.

Helga and Fabrizio went back to what they were talking about before. Josephine tuned them out. She felt like people watching. She stared at the faces in the crowd. Faces full of joy and hope and life, a life that would be cut short abruptly and tragically by the sinking. The thought made Josephine want to cry. Luckily, her thoughts were interrupted by Fabrizio.

"Do you happen to know Jack Dawson?"

"Yeah, I met him earlier today actually."

"Oh wow! That's perfect because there's going to be a party in about an hour, and Helga and I wanted to help set up, but Jack loves parties and would never forgive me if I didn't tell him we were having one. So, do you think you could tell him for me?"

Josephine understood what Fabrizio meant. He wanted to tell Jack about the party, but he also wanted to get to know Helga better. He was afraid he would miss his chance if left to get Jack. "Sure, I'll get him for you."

"Great!"

"Do you know where he'll be?"

"He said he would be up on deck. Thanks for doing this."

"It's no problem. I'll see you two later." She got up to leave.

"Ciao," said Fabrizio.

"Bye," said Helga.

Out on deck, Josephine wished she had worn a jacket. Although it wasn't unbearably cold, it was a bit chilly. She was getting closer to the stern and there was still no sign of Jack. Finally, she saw him standing right by the railing.

'What is he doing?' she wondered.

It was then that she noticed Jack wasn't alone. There was a young woman with him. To her horror, Josephine realized the woman was standing on the _other_ side of the railing. She looked like she was going to jump. "Omigosh, don't do it!" Josephine shouted.

Both Jack and the woman looked at Josephine. "Josephine, is that you?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, it's me."

"What are you doing out here?"

"Your friend Fabrizio wanted you to know there's going to be a party in the General Room, but I think you have bigger things to worry about." Josephine glanced at the woman.

"Don't worry. I can take care of this."

It was then that the woman spoke. "You'll take care of nothing! Now, would you two kindly go away. You're distracting me!"

"I'm sorry miss," Jack replied, "but I can't leave you. Trust me, you don't want to do this. Do you have any idea how freezing that water is?"

"Well…no, not really."

"Have you ever been to Wisconsin?"

Josephine didn't see where this was going, but apparently, Jack did.

"What?" the woman asked, just as perplexed as Josephine.

"Well, they have some of the coldest winters around. I grew up there, near Chippewa Falls. I remember when I was a kid me and my father went ice-fishing out on Lake Wissota… ice-fishing's where you-

"I know what ice-fishing is!" The woman was growing impatient.

"Sorry, it's just…you seem like more of an indoor girl. Anyway, I fell through some thin ice, and I'm telling you, water that cold…like right down there… it hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body."

"Actually, it would probably be worse than a thousand knives," Josephine interjected. "It would be like… being gutted by an ice axe."

Jack gave her look that said, "what are you doing?" Josephine just shrugged.

"An ice axe?" the woman repeated.

"Yep. A cold, sharp ice axe."

"Well…"

"Listen," Jack said, "if you jump in there, I'm gonna have to jump in after ya."

"What?!" yelled Josephine and the woman simultaneously.

"Jack, you'll be killed," Josephine said.

"She's right. The fall alone would kill you."

"It would hurt. I'm not saying it wouldn't, especially considering how darn cold that water is, but if you jump, I jump. I guess I'm kinda hoping you'll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here."

"You're crazy," the woman replied.

"That's what everybody says, but, with all due respect, I'm not the one hanging off the back of a ship." Jack extended his hand toward the woman. "Come on. You don't want to do this. Give me your hand."

The woman unfastened one hand from the railing and slowly reached it around toward him. Jack took it, firmly. Then, the woman turned her whole body so she was facing Jack. Josephine let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm Jack Dawson."

"I'm Rose DeWitt Bukater."

"I'm gonna have to get you to write that one down."

Josephine smiled at Jack's ability to make a joke in such a tense situation. Rose smiled too and gave a short gasp of a laugh. Then she started to climb over the railing, but her shoe got caught in her long dress causing her to slip. Josephine let out a scream of terror as she saw her plunge. Josephine ran toward them, praying she was still hanging on. To her relief, Jack was still gripping her hand. Josephine leaned over the railing and grabbed Rose's other hand.

"Help! Help!!" Rose screamed.

Josephine and Jack used their combined strength to pull Rose over the railing. They all landed on deck in a tangled heap. Suddenly, one of the ship's officers followed by two seamen ran toward them.

"What's all this?" the officer questioned. He looked at the three of them but stared the hardest at Josephine and Jack. He turned toward the two seamen.

"Fetch the Master at Arms!"

"What?! Under what charges?" cried Josephine.

"For trying to rob a First Class passenger."

It was then that Josephine noticed Rose's attire. She was wearing a gorgeous scarlet dress with intricate black beading. Her ears were adorned with expensive emerald earrings that contrasted beautifully with her flowing red hair.

'She's obviously rich and Jack and I obviously aren't. Now, were about to be arrested because of this stupid officer's assumption,' she thought.

"We were trying to save her not rob her," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The officer just ignored her. She might as well been invisible.

'This is the worst day of my life,' Josephine thought to herself.

***

_The worst phone call of my entire life. I must hurry up and get there._


	4. Déjà vu

**Chapter 4: Déjà Vu **

A few minutes later, the Master at Arms arrived along with two older men and one younger one. One of the older men as well as the younger one were dressed immaculately in tuxedoes. The other wore a suit and tie. The Master at Arms approached Josephine and Jack and roughly handcuffed them. Then the young man walked up to them.

"How dare you two try to rob _my_ fiancée."

Josephine rolled her eyes. "Listen, you idiot! We were not trying to rob _your _fiancée. This is all just a big misunderstanding."

"She's lying," piped up the officer, "I caught them doing it red-handed."

Josephine gave him a dirty look. "No you only thought you caught us doing it, and by the way, are the handcuffs really necessary? It's a ship. Where are we going to go?"

"Shut up you filth!" the young man barked.

"Filth?! How dare you speak to me like that! If you don't uncuff me and my friend right now, you are seriously gonna regret it! My lawyer will sue all of you for obstruction of justice."

"_You_ have a lawyer?"

"Well…no, but my friend Calvin's parents are both viscous lawyers who would be more than happy to represent me."

"Is that so?"

"Cal, stop!" Rose pleaded. "Please, everyone just calm down. It was an accident."

"What?" Cal said baffled. "They were accidentally trying to rob you."

"No, it was stupid, really. I was leaning over and I slipped. I was leaning far over to see the…ah…um…"

"Propellers?"

"Propellers! And I slipped, and I would have gone overboard, but Mr. Dawson and Ms. Josephine were here to save me, and they almost went over themselves."

"She wanted to see the propellers. Women and their flights of fancy, eh Gracie?"

Gracie shook his head. "It's like I said, 'women and machinery do not mix.'"

The Master at Arms looked at Jack. "Was that the way of it?"

Josephine spoke for him. "Of course it was the way of it. Now, I think all of you owe us an apology."

"Right, Lovejoy, I think a twenty should do it," Cal said to the man in the suit and tie.

"A twenty?" Josephine asked. "That's it? Aren't you supposed to be rich or something?"

"A twenty happens to be a decent amount of money, especially for someone like _you_."

"Well, someone like _me _wouldn't take money from an overdressed, pompous jerk like you if my life depended on it."

"Well, a twenty is all I'm offering so take it or leave it."

"Cal, is that the going rate for saving the woman you love?" Rose asked.

"Rose is displeased. Mmmm…what to do?" Cal looked back at Josephine and Jack and appraised them condescendingly. "I know. Perhaps you two could join us for dinner tomorrow evening to regale our group with your heroic tale."

Josephine gave Cal a disgusted look. "Dinner…with _you_? That's even lamer than the twenty."

Jack nudged her. "She's kidding. We'd love to go."

Josephine gave him a curious look then looked back at Cal. "Fine. Count me in."

"Good. It's settled then." Cal turned to go and put a protective arm around Rose. As they walked away he leaned close to Gracie. "This should be interesting."

Excuse me. What did you just say?" Josephine angrily asked.

"It was nothing," Cal said, blowing her off.

"You know, if you're going to say something about someone, you should at least have the guts to say it to their face."

Cal looked at her then. Really looked at her. A mixture of emotions passed over his face—anger, humiliation, shock and most surprising of all, curiosity.

"Cal," Rose said, "can we just go inside now? It's rather cold."

"Of course. You must be freezing."

They all walked away, leaving Josephine and Jack alone. Neither said anything for a while. Jack broke the silence.

"Well…that was fun."

"Yeah, I should get arrested more often."

They chuckled lightly at that.

"But seriously, Jack, what was that?"

"What was what?"

"That whole 'we'd love to go' thing. What possible reason do you have for wanting to eat dinner with those people?"

"They have good food in First Class."

Josephine looked at him, unconvinced.

"Haven't you ever wanted to know how the better half live?" Jack countered.

"No. Besides, I do know how the better half live, and trust me, it's all just smoke and mirrors. They're just normal people like you and me. Well, some of them can be pretentious snobs."

"Like that Cal guy?"

"Ugh, exactly like that Cal guy."

"You were pretty rough to him, weren't you?"

"Not rough enough. I loathe that man…poor Rose."

Suddenly, an idea hit Josephine like an anvil to the head. The thought made her gasp. "I know why you wanna have dinner with those people. You want to see her again."

"Her? Who's her?"

"Suicide girl…Rose."

"Don't be ridiculous. Besides, she wouldn't have killed herself anyway."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I don't know…I guess after years of drawing people, I kinda get a feeling for a person just by looking at them."

"Wait, you draw?"

"Well, it's not much, but it's enough to get me by."

"I'll bet you're an amazing artist but back to Rose. I can see why you like her. She's very pretty, but she's kind of…"

"Out of my league?" Jack finished for her.

"No. I was going to say unavailable. Jack, you should never think someone is out of your league. I once thought someone was out of my league, but he wasn't. I was just being stupid. I was going to make it up to him when…anyway, the point is no one is out of your league. It's only your own thoughts that make them so."

"Maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right."

Jack smiled at her. "I'm glad I met you."

"Me too." Josephine let out an involuntary yawn.

"I'm tired too," Jack said, noticing her yawn. "Maybe we should call it a night."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

***

The next day, Josephine met Jack, Helga and Fabrizio in the General Room. "We missed you two at the party last night," Helga said to the truant duo.

"Yeah, Jack," Fabrizio added. "Since when do you miss a party?"

"Um…Josephine and I got sidetracked."

"Yeah, we were exploring the ship."

"Not much to explore in Third Class," Fabrizio countered.

"There is if you know where to look," Josephine replied.

"Hmm…"

'Obviously Fabrizio isn't buying our story.' Thought Josephine. She looked at Jack to see if he noticed, but he was too busy drawing. "Oooh, you're drawing! Mind if I take a look?"

"Nope."

Josephine looked at the drawing. It wasn't finished yet, but she could tell it was a sketch of a little girl sitting on her father's lap. It was a beautiful expression of the relationship between father and daughter.

Jack nudged her and cocked his head to the left. Josephine looked in that direction and noticed a curly-haired little girl sitting happily in her father's lap. The same father and daughter from the sketch.

Josephine chuckled. "Now I think I get what you meant when you said you can understand people just by looking at them. This is extraordinary work, Jack."

"Nah, it's not that great."

"You know who you remind me of? My best friend Brooke. She's a gifted artist just like you but is so humble about. She fails to see how talented she really is."

"Isn't Brooke a girl's name?"

"Yeah."

"So, I remind you of a girl?"

"Yes- I mean, no. I mean, you just remind me of Brooke."

"Who's a girl.'

"No, I didn't mean it like that! I meant—"

"Josephine."

"Yeah?"

"I knew what you meant. I was just kidding around."

"Oh…see! That's what I mean! Brooke has this crazy sense of humor too, and you both have this passion for life. You're those seize the day type of people."

"Well, I think I'd like to meet—"

Jack didn't finish what he was going to say. Instead, he was looking at something intently. Josephine followed his gaze and discovered that Rose was in the room. Everyone else in the room noticed her too. The presence of Rose, in all her First Class opulence, stunned the entire room into silence. Even the children stopped and stared at the princess in a room full of paupers.

Rose made her way toward Josephine and Jack while the people all parted like the Red sea as she walked past. All the attention seemed to be making Rose self-conscious, however. When she reached her destination, she spoke up timidly. "Hello Jack…Josephine."

Josephine smiled warmly.

"Hello again," Jack said.

"Could I speak to the both of you."

"Isn't that what were doing now?" Josephine replied nonchalantly.

"In private."

Josephine looked around the room to notice all the steerage passengers eavesdropping. "Yeah, private would be better," she said.

They followed Rose as she led them to the boat deck. It was warm outside and the sun was shining brightly. It was a beautiful day made even more beautiful by the sparkling ocean. The three of them walked side by side. No one said anything, creating an awkward silence.

"So…Rose," Jack said, breaking the silence. "What exactly did you want to talk to us about?"

"Mr. Dawson, I—"

"Jack."

"Jack…and Josephine, I feel like such an idiot. It took me all morning to get the nerve to face you two."

"Well, here you are," Jack said simply but still conveying so much.

"here I am. I- I want to thank both of you for what you did. Not just for…for pulling me back but for your discretion."

"You're welcome," Jack replied.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Josephine said.

Suddenly, Rose's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my gosh!"

"What?" Josephine asked alarmed.

"My mother is headed right this way! She'll kill me if she sees me talking to you guys!"

"Calm down." Josephine soothed. "We'll just turn around and walk the other way, subtly of course."

They did just that.

"Oh my gosh!" Rose reiterated.

"Now what?!" Josephine cried.

"Cal is headed over here! He wouldn't approve of me talking to you guys!"

"Quick! Jump overboard!" Josephine joked.

"What?!" cried Jack and Rose.

"Relax. I'm just joking around."

"We don't have time for joking. How do we evade Cal with my mother right around the corner?"

Josephine glanced back at Cal. "Don't worry. I'll distract him while you two slip past." She quickly ran up to Cal. "Hi, Cal!"

"You! How did you get in the First Class area?"

"I was invited. Apparently, if you have an invitation, anyone can get into First Class."

Cal looked unconvinced. "I don't see an invitation."

"So? Are you gonna tattle on me?"

Cal bristled at the remark. He wasn't going to let this girl make him out to be petty. "No, of course not."

"Good. Let's talk!"

"About what?"

"The..um…sky. Just look at it! It's so…blue! And the sun! It's so yellow!"

"I don't have time for this." Cal pushed past her.

Fear seized Josephine. Rose and Jack were walking right past him. She had to work fast. She grabbed Cal's arms. "Ow! Wait, Cal! Oooww!"

"What?!" he growled.

My ankle hurts. I sprained it earlier when…when I was saving your fiancée."

How could that have sprained your ankle?"

How should I know? I'm not a doctor. I need to sit down." Josephine leaned on Cal as she limped over to one of the steamer chairs. She sat down and fake winced in pain. Cal stood, hands in pockets, looking uncomfortable as though he were the one who didn't belong instead of Josephine.

"Owie, that hurts."

He actually started to look concerned. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Um…it feels better now that I'm sitting down."

"Good." Cal looked down at Josephine awkwardly. "Are you still having dinner with us?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason."

Josephine looked around to make sure Jack and Rose were nowhere in sight. They weren't. "Well, I feel all better!" She stood up. "Gotta go!" She quickly walked away. "See you at dinner, Cal!"

Cal just stood there, flabbergasted by Josephine's odd behavior.

Josephine found Jack and Rose on the other side of the ship. They were leaned against the railing, talking closely. Rose was smiling warmly at whatever Jack was saying. "Am I interrupting something?" Josephine inquired teasingly.

They both turned at her voice.

"Maybe I should leave you two alone," she added.

"Don't be ridiculous," Rose said. "How did you manage to distract Cal?"

"It was nothing.'

"Nothing?!" Jack exclaimed. "It would have to take everything to distract that guy."

"He's not that bad," Josephine replied.

"What?! Just yesterday you talked about how much you hated him."

"Don't get me wrong. He's still a jerk, but Cal's like a wolf—viscous and dangerous—but once you're not afraid to establish dominance, he's like a harmless pup. Albeit a conceited pup."

"Wow," Rose said. "I can't believe you just said that."

Josephine realized she was trash-talking Rose's fiancé right in front of her. "I'm so sorry. I meant no offense."

"No, it's not that. I meant, I can't believe you compared Cal to a harmless pup. I wish I could make the same statement. Anyway, I never got to fully thank you for saving me last night.'

"I thought you did."

"Nope. There was more. You're still having dinner with us, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good, because I was wondering, if it's okay with you…if you would want to wear something of mine so you won't look so…um…out of place. I'm sorry. Forgive my impertinence."

"Are you kidding me? I would love to wear something of yours." Josephine's face glowed with excitement.

"Great! I was thinking something blue to match your eyes."

"Oooh, yeah. Blue's my favorite color."

"Okay," Jacked interjected. "This conversation couldn't be more boring to me. I'll take this as my cue to leave."

"I'll see you later then," Rose said. "Unless you want to wear one of my dresses to dinner."

Jack grinned sheepishly. "No thanks. Count me out."

***

In Rose's room Josephine feasted her eyes on a plethora of beautiful clothes. "Rose, you have a whole store in here!"

"The sad thing is, these are just my traveling clothes."

Josephine bugged her eyes in shock. "You mean there's more!"

"I'm afraid so." Rose was rifling through the wardrobe. "Ah…here it is." She pulled out a midnight blue gown with rhinestones sewn all over it, resembling a cloudless night sky adorned with a million stars.

"Oh," Josephine breathed. "This is…exquisite. I can't wear this."

"Why on earth not?"

"It's _too_ beautiful."

"Don't be ridiculous. You'll be perfect in it. I've only worn it once because the color didn't look right with my hair, but you're hair on the other hand…"

"Well…I suppose I could wear it."

Rose clapped her hands together gaily. "Goody! Try it on behind the screen." She pointed to a changing screen. "I can't wait to see what it looks like.'

Josephine went behind the screen and proceeded to change. She slid the dress over her head and was pleased to find it fit her like a glove. She walked out from behind the changing screen, a smile decorated her face. "Rose, I'm eternally in your debt. This dress is beyond perfect!" Josephine realized Rose wasn't there. "Uh…Rose?"

Rose walked out into the from the bathroom in a different dress. A beautiful red and black dress with intricate beading all over that sparkled every time she moved and on her arms were crisp white gloves that went past her elbows. "Sorry. I just decided to change as well."

"You look great," complimented Josephine.

"Thank you, but, wow. You look way better."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Well, I would but all you need is some jewelry to make your outfit complete." Rose walked over to the vanity where an array of sparkling jewels covered the table. She stood there contemplating which necklace was best when suddenly, her face fell. Josephine noticed the look. "Rose, what's wrong?"

Rose took so long to answer that Josephine thought she might not have heard her. Finally, she spoke. "I was just thinking I should probably wear this." Rose held out a large black velvet jewel case.

"It's nice, but I don't think a jewelry case is meant to be worn," Josephine joked in an attempt to pacify Rose.

Rose smiled slightly, but her eyes still held a look of sadness. "Very funny, but I meant what was inside the case." She opened it to reveal a necklace with a magnificent blue stoned that glittered in the light. "Whoa," Josephine gasped. "It's so…big. No offense Rose but that doesn't seem very 'you'."

"That's because it's not me. Cal gave it to me." Rose took the necklace out of the case and stared at it as if doing so might make it disappear. "Now, I feel obligated to wear it."

"If you don't want to wear it, don't wear it."

"You're right. I'm not going to wear it, but you know what would be really funny?" A mischievous smile decorated Rose's face. "If you wore the necklace."

Josephine didn't reply. Her eyes were glued to the necklace. There was something so strangely familiar about.

"Josephine are you all right?"

Josephine had to force herself to pry her eyes away from the necklace. "I think so, but I feel like I've seen that necklace before."

"That's quite impossible. This necklace is one of a kind. There's no other like it."

"I'm telling you I've seen this before."

"Maybe you just saw something very similar."

"No, I've seen this exact one. It's called The Heart of the Ocean, isn't it?"

Rose blinked in surprise. "Yes, how did you know that? I never told you."

"Because I've seen it before."

"But how is that possi—"

"It's 56 carats too."

This newest revelation caused Rose to drop the necklace. "Okay, now you're starting to freak me out."

"I'm starting to freak myself out. I don't know how I knew that. I just did. That's happened before since I've been on this ship. It's like…I don't know…it's like all this is a play that I've seen a thousand times. Only this time, I've accidentally been given a part. That sounds crazy doesn't it?"

Rose shook her head. "No, life can be a very mysterious thing, but I can't for the life of me figure out how you knew about this necklace.' Rose picked it up from off the floor and put it back in its case then turned to face Josephine. "Do you mind if I do your hair?"

"No," she quietly replied.

As Rose styled her hair, Josephine stared at the case containing the necklace. It was concealed from her eyes but nothing could conceal it from her memory. It was burned there and nothing could quench it. The fact that she knew she had seen the necklace before seemed to be telling her something, but what? The strange case of déjà vu sent chills down her spine.

***

_I reach my destination. I walk into the room._


	5. The Other Side

Chapter Five: The Other Side

Josephine was in the Third Class General Room looking for Jack. She suddenly knew what Rose must've felt like walking in here because every eye in the room was aimed at Josephine in all her finery. She spotted Helga and Fabrizio sitting together on a bench. Helga waved her over and Josephine made her way toward them. "Omigosh, your clothes! They're beautiful!" Helga exclaimed with admiration.

"Thanks," Josephine smiled.

"But how?"

"It's a long story. Let's just say I've got a friend in First Class. Actually, I was looking for Jack. Have you two seen him?"

Neither one of them knew of his whereabouts. "I haven't seen him since this morning," said Fabrizio. "I assumed he was with you."

"That's strange. Where could he be?" she wondered aloud. "Oh well, I suppose I'll just meet him at the saloon."

Fabrizio and Helga exchanged confused glances. "Saloon? What saloon?" he asked.

"The First Class Dining Saloon."

"Wait. What?"

"Details!" cried Helga.

"Basically, Jack and I got invited to eat dinner in First Class."

"Wow, that's unbelievable!" Helga exclaimed.

"I suppose it does have a certain unbelievability to it," mused Josephine, "but I've gotta book it. If you're any more than 15 minutes late to these things you're officially unfashionably late."

As Josephine made her way down the Grand Staircase, she couldn't help but admire the splendor of First Class. Above her head was an enormous glass dome with a crystal chandelier in its center. It looked as brilliant and incandescent as the sun. Its magnificence took her breath away. Making her way down the six story staircase, Josephine was in awe of the people around her. The woman, with their elaborate hairstyles, gorgeous floor length gowns and ample jewelry, looked beautifully ethereal, and the men all looked dashing in their crisp, neat formal wear. The grandness of it all was overwhelming.

When she reached the end of the staircase, she stopped to admire a beautifully carved cherub at the end of the banister. She ran a finger along the smooth statue and smiled at her child-like fascination. It was then that she noticed a gentleman who stood out from the rest. Josephine could only see his back, but from the way he was standing—like he was unsure of what he was doing—he seemed to be a fish out of water even with his expensive white-tie suit. Josephine realized with alacrity that the gentleman was Jack. "Jack!" she cried, not caring if her behavior seemed informal.

He turned to her with a smile. "Finally, a familiar face."

Josephine chuckled. "_You_ don't look very familiar. You could pass for James Bond."

Jack scrunched his face in confusion. "Who?"

"Never mind. I just meant, you clean up nice."

Jack shrugged. "Maybe, but I feel like I'm going to my own funeral in this thing, but speaking of cleaning up nice, you look amazing!"

Well, aren't you charming. Thank you very much Mr. Dawson," she replied with mock formality. "But it's all thanks to Rose." As if on cue, Josephine spotted Rose descending down the staircase. She was a vision. Her hair radiated like fire, her jewels sparkled, and her red and black dress glowed like coals in a hot fire. Josephine nudged Jack so he would notice, but she realized he already had. He stared at Rose, captivated. Josephine smiled at his obvious infatuation. Her smile faded, however, when she saw Cal trailing behind Rose. "Gross," she said aloud. "I forgot he was gonna be here."

"Don't worry," Jack replied. "According to you, he's not that bad."

"Yeah, well, not that bad is still _bad_."

"I think we'll manage."

Rose and Cal were next to them now. "It's nice to see you again, Rose," Jack said.

"It's nice seeing you again too, Jack" Rose appraised him up and down, observing his tuxedo. "You look nice but I'd take the regular Jack any day."

"That makes two of us."

Cal, not enjoying the tête-à-tête, cut in. "Yes, Dawson, you could almost pass for a gentleman."

"Almost," he smoothly replied.

Cal, upset that his insult didn't have the desired affect, turned his attention to Josephine. He looked amazed at her appearance, and it had to be admitted that she looked beautiful. Her dress shimmered like the Milky Way, and her face was as luminous as the moon. He couldn't speak for a moment but quickly recovered. "How on earth did you manage to get some decent clothes?"

Rose looked embarrassed by the rudeness of the question, but Josephine was not so easily humiliated. "I stole them from Rose without her knowledge," she replied with perfect calmness.

Cal took her words in earnest and looked completely shocked. He glanced at Rose to see how she was taking it, but the slight smile on her face made him realize his error. "Oh, you were joking of course." He laughed awkwardly.

'Oh, how the tables can turn,' thought Josephine with some pleasure.

"I assume my gracious fiancée lent you the gown," Cal said.

"Yes, she did."

"Mother," Rose exclaimed. "There you are. Where did you get off to?"

Josephine turned to observe Rose's mother. She only got a quick glance of her earlier, but now she could see her more clearly. She thought that she was the spitting image of Rose. They both had the same alabaster skin and fiery curly red hair. However, Rose's mother had a sternness in her face that Rose didn't share.

"I was chatting with Lady Duff-Gordon." Ruth noticed Josephine and Jack.

"Josephine, Jack, this is my mother, Ruth."

Jack gave a slight bow and Josephine smiled.

"It's lovely to meet you," Ruth replied with civility.

'How funny,' thought Josephine. 'She doesn't seem to realize that Jack and I are steerage passengers.' But Cal quickly changed that. "Josephine and Jack are joining us from the Third Class," he said to Ruth.

"Third Class! Then what on earth are they doing here?" she asked indignantly.

"They provided a service to Rose, and I'm thanking them by allowing them to dine with us this evening."

"How charming," she coldly replied.

Josephine rolled her eyes at Ruth, but it went unnoticed. She wondered how Rose could be so sweet with Ruth for her mother.

"Shall we head to the dining area?" suggested Cal.

"That would be delightful," answered Ruth.

Rose and Jack walked ahead. Josephine decided to leave them alone even though it meant having to stay behind with Cal and Ruth. They were purposely leaving her out of their conversation, but Josephine didn't mind. It gave her a chance to admire her surroundings. The dining saloon was simply breathtaking. Josephine noticed that much like the Third Class General Room, everyone seemed to know someone, but that was where the similarities ended. From the crystal stemware to the mellifluous music coming from the orchestra, the dining saloon was far to grand to be compared to the meager General Room.

Once they reached their table, Josephine realized, much to her chagrin, that she was to be seated to the right of Cal, while Rose sat to his left. She quickly swerved toward Jack. "Jack, I can't sit there. Switch seats with me."

"Oh come on, Josephine, what's the worst that could happen? He stabs you with a dinner knife?"

"No," Josephine replied, "but _I_ might!"

Jack just shook his head and smiled. "Sorry Josephine. You're on your own." Then he made his way to his seat which was across from Rose.

"Jack, wait! Jack!"

Cal was by her side then, having seated Rose. Josephine let out a heavy sigh as he pulled out her chair for her. "Thanks," she grumbled. Josephine decided to survey the other people who were at her table. There was Thomas Andrews, the ship's designer. Josephine noticed he kept jotting things down in his notebook. She liked him. He had kind eyes. Then there was Molly Brown, who kept talking loudly and laughing heartily. Josephine liked her too. She was a breath of fresh air from the otherwise stuffy refinement of the First Class. There was also Bruce Ismay, the managing director of the White Star Line. That basically meant he was the owner of the ship, but he acted like he owned the entire ocean. Josephine couldn't stand him. He was a pompous jerk with one of those ridiculous handlebar mustaches. Lastly, there was Colonel Archibald Gracie whom Josephine recognized as the gentleman who was with Cal the night she and Jack saved Rose. He was proud and arrogant but still friendly and talkative. Josephine didn't hate him like she did Bruce Ismay, but she didn't exactly like him either.

The waiters began serving everyone. The one next to Josephine asked her how she took her caviar. "Oh, no thanks," she replied. "I don't want any."

The others, except for Jack, Rose, Molly and Mr. Andrews, stared strangely at her. "What?" Josephine said in response to their stares. "Caviar's gross. Do you know what it is? It's fish eggs! I'm sorry but the only eggs I eat are the ones that come from chickens." Everyone laughed at her little joke. Everyone except for Cal and Ruth. Jack glanced at Josephine. "I feel the same way," he turned toward the waiter, "I won't be having any caviar either." Josephine and Rose smiled at him. Suddenly, Ruth spoke up. "Tell us—Mr. Dawson, Josephine— of the accommodations in steerage. I hear they're quite good on this ship."

"The best I've seen ma'am," Jack replied. "Hardly any rats."

"Yes, you should come down and see for yourself," Josesphine added bitterly.

"Mr. Dawson and Ms. Josephine are Third Class passengers. They were of some assistance to my fiancée last night," Cal explained.

The others nodded in understanding. Some exchanged furtive glances that seemed to say "what are these steerage ruffians doing in _our_ part of the ship".

Josephine began to eat her salad, but because she was left-handed, she kept bumping elbows with the right-handed Cal. "Could you please stop bumping into my elbow," snapped Cal.

"I'm not bumping your elbow, you're bumping mine."

"Well, maybe you should stop eating with your left hand. Why are you doing that?"

"Because I'm left-handed, duh. I was born this way. I can't help it. You on the other hand can help the fact that you're a complete jerk."

Cal looked at Josephine incredulously. It was obvious that he had never been put in his place, and by doing so, Josephine had rendered him speechless. If only she could have silenced Ruth too for she spoke up by saying to Jack: "And where exactly do you live, Mr. Dawson?"

"Well, right now my address is RMS Titanic. After that, I'm on God's good humor."

"How is it you have the means to travel?"

"I work my way from place to place. Tramp steamers and such, but I won my ticket on Titanic in a lucky hand at poker." Jack glanced at Rose. "A very lucky hand."

Colonel Gracie spoke up then. "All life is a game of luck."

Cal shook his head in disagreement. "A real man makes his own luck, Archie."

'He just doesn't quit,' thought Josephine. "Actually, Jack is also an artist," she said aloud.

"Not just any artist," Rose added. "He's very talented."

"Well, Rose and I differ somewhat in our definition of fine art. Not to impugn your work, sir," said Cal.

"No, it's fine," replied Jack. "I don't draw to satisfy anyone but myself anyway. I guess I'm what you'd call a regular bohemian."

"And you find that sort of rootless existence appealing, do you?" Ruth icily questioned.

"Well, yes ma'am I do. I mean, I got everything I need right here. I got air in my lungs and a few blank sheets of paper. I mean, I love waking up in the morning not knowing what's gonna happen or who I'm gonna meet or where I'm gonna wind up. Just the other night, I was sleeping under a bridge and now, here I am on the grandest ship in the world having champagne with you fine people." Jack lifted his glass his glass to the waiter. "I'll take some more of that." The waiter assiduously filled his glass, and Jack took a quick sip then continued. "I figure life's a gift, and I don't intend on wasting it. You never know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you. To make each day count."

Josephine was amazed by Jack's captivatingly heartfelt speech, and she wasn't the only one either. The whole table was spellbound by his inspiring words. Even Cal seemed to find them interesting, although he was still disgruntled that Jack was getting so much positive attention.

"Well said, Jack," Molly Brownie said in admiration.

"Here, here," agreed Gracie.

Rose looked at Jack, flashing him a brief smile, then raised her glass. "To making it count."

The others followed her example. "To making it count," they all said in unison.

After that, the main course of roast lamb with a cherry glaze was served, and everyone in the dinner party began to engage in separate conversations. Josephine had nothing to entertain her but the food because Jack was speaking fervently with Rose, and she didn't want to interrupt the love in progress. However, food could only entertain for so long, and Josephine began to feel as lonely as a mountain top. The only person not talking was Cal, and she began to regret that she had silenced him from her earlier, for he was now the only person available to speak to. She decided to at least try to talk to him.

"So," she began, "what's it take to get a stiff like you to open up?" Josephine had to admit it wasn't the best way to start a conversation with someone, but she was still upset over how he kept condescending Jack. Cal, however, didn't say anything. He just kept eating his food as if she hadn't spoke. She began to think he was going to ignore her completely when, finally, he spoke.

"I can easily open up and converse. I just choose not to do it with _you_."

Josephine stared at him in open-mouthed shock. She wasn't even insulted. In fact, she was impressed. She never imagined someone like Caledon Hockley being capable of making a witty retort.

"Wow," she smiled. "You managed a comeback and a good one at that."

"I'm afraid I don't know what a comeback is."

Josephine laughed slightly to herself. "Oh, right. Of course you don't know what that means. A comeback is like an insult, and yours was a pretty good one. Congratulations." Josephine could have sworn she saw him smile.

"So," he said, "this must be very exciting to you."

"What must be?"

"Having dinner with the better half."

Josephine bristled at the remark. "What makes you think you're better?"

"Well, of course we are."

The remark made Josephine boil with an anger that could melt an iceberg. His unabashed arrogance made her sick, and it took every ounce of her self control not to throw her drink in his smug face. "You're a fool if you think having money makes you better than others."

"You're only saying that because you don't have money."

"And you're only saying that because you have to believe all your money makes you happy when, deep down, you know it doesn't. Because money can't love you back, and it can't make anyone love you back either." She glanced at Rose, and she knew Cal understood her meaning. "Sure money can make people kiss up to you or take an interest in you but love—real love—it cannot attain." The arrival of dessert put an end to her reprimand and an end to any further conversation with Cal.

Dessert was soon over, and the dinner party began to disperse. The men made their way to the smoking room while the women remained at the table to gossip. "Joining us, Dawson," Gracie asked. "You don't want to stay out here with the women, do you?"

"No thanks. I'm heading back."

Cal walked up to Jack. "Probably best. It'll be all business and politics, that sort of thing. Wouldn't interest you much but good of you to come." Josephine narrow her eyes at him as he walked away.

Jack, unfazed by Cal's rudeness, made his way over to Josephine and Rose. "Jack, must you go?" Rose asked.

"Time for me to go row with the other slaves." Jack leaned over to take Rose's hand and kiss it. While he did, Josephine noticed he surreptitiously slipped her a tiny folded note. Then he walked away, leaving them together. Josephine, however, wanted to sate her curiosity so she said good-bye to Rose and went to find Jack.

She found him standing at the landing of the staircase. "So, you gonna tell me what was written on that note?"

Jack smiled like a little boy with a secret. "So, you saw the note?"

"Yes, I saw the note. What did you write? Declarations of your love? A sonnet or two?"

Jack laughed. "No, nothing like that."

Then what?" she pried.

"All it said was, 'Make it count. Meet me at the clock.'"

Josephine scrunched her face in derision. "Well, that's not romantic at all, but I suppose you get points for mysterious."

Jack just stood, staring ahead. Josephine followed his gaze and noticed a beautifully ornate clock right in front of her. "Oh, this clock!" She rolled her eyes at her own obliviousness. "Well, I'd hate to get between you and the clock. I'll just leave you two to get better acquainted." She scampered away.

***

_What I see fills my heart with sorrow._

*Hope you liked it! Please **review**. Also, I'm writing another fan fic called "**Tipanic**". It's a parody and pretty funny if I do say so myself. So, please **read it and review it**. Thanks!


	6. A Lively Debate

Chapter 6: A Lively Debate

As Josephine made her way down the labyrinth of corridors in the Third Class area of the ship, she sang quietly to herself. The song was a tune that the orchestra had been playing earlier at dinner. "Come on and here," she sang. "Come on and here. Alexander's ragtime band. Come on and hear. Come on and hear. It's the best band in the land. They can play a bugle call like you've never heard before."

She stopped singing. "That's catchy," she mused to herself. Then she continued. "So natural that you'll wanna go to war."

She stopped singing again at the sound of a faint yell in the distance. 'Was that my name I just heard,' she wondered. She waited to see if she'd hear it again. Silence. So, she continued. "That's just the bestest band what am! Honey lamb."

There it was again, only louder. This time she turned around and was shocked to see Cal at the end of the hallway, making his way toward her.

"Are you lost?" she asked sardonically.

"No," he replied. He was face to face with her now. "I'm exactly where I want to be."

Josephine gave him a puzzled look so he added, "I was looking for you actually."

"Why?" she asked suspiciously. Then after a beat she added: "Did you want to continue our argument?"

He smiled. "We weren't arguing. It was more like a lively debate."

"Whatever," she replied dismissively.

"I came down here because I just wanted to say…I think we got off to a bad start."

Josephine stared at him. 'Well, this is unexpected,' she thought. 'I didn't realize he had a conscience.' But she still didn't trust him so she replied with marked sarcasm: "That's the understatement of the year, but" — she added with sincerity — "I accept your apology."

"Wait a minute. Who said anything about an apology? I am in no way apologizing. I was just saying—"

Josephine interrupted him. "You are unbelievable! Are you too proud to apologize?" Josephine felt herself growing angrier with each word. "I guess a decent gesture would be far too dignified for you. You're pathetic," she spat. She turned on her heel and started walking away from him. She was at her door when she heard Cal say, "Wait a minute Josephine. What is your problem? I didn't mean to upset you."

She whipped her head around. "Of course you didn't mean to upset me. It just comes so naturally for you."

Cal sighed.

"Do you even care about anyone but yourself?" Josephine asked without anger but with pity because anyone so selfish must also be very lonely. "You know, there are moments, very fleeting moments, when you act like a decent human being, but then you quickly turn back into a complete Neanderthal." Josephine paused for breath. She felt weak all of a sudden. She took a deep breath then continued. "Consider this conversation, excuse me, lively debate, over."

She turned to open the door, but before she could reach the handle, a searing pain tore through her temples. It felt like her head was about to explode, and she almost wanted it to so at least she wouldn't feel anything anymore. She slid to the floor, crouching and groaning in agony. It brought back the memory of the headache she had endured when she first woke up on the ship.

She hadn't even realized Cal was by her side until she heard him say, "Josephine, are you all right?" He kept saying her name over and over again. _Josephine, Josephine, Josephine._ Finally, after what seemed an eternity, although it couldn't have been more than a few seconds, the pain went away.

Josephine opened her eyes to find Cal looking at her with concern. "My gosh," he said, "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," she replied weakly.

"No you're not. I'm taking you to the ship's doctor."

"No,' Josephine said with more force. "I'm fine, really." She stood up as if to prove she was. "But thank you for your concern," she smiled.

Cal still looked apprehensive.

"Look," she said then spun around in a little circle. "See, I'm fine."

He gave her a brief smile. "Well, all right, but you should probably rest to be safe."

"Okay, okay." She turned to open the door, but Cal put a hand on her arm to stop her.

"Good night," he said, simply.

"Good night."

***

_Why did this have to happen? Take me instead!_


	7. I Spy a Spy

Chapter 7: I Spy A Spy

Not a moment after she closed the door, Helga began to speak. "Finally! I thought you'd never come. I was about to give up on you."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Have I been keeping you up?" Josephine asked.

Helga grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Keeping me up? Actually, you've been keeping me from going to the party. I didn't want to leave until you came back. What was dinner like by the way?"

Josephine shrugged. "It wasn't that special. I mean—" Josephine stopped herself. "Wait. Did you say something about a party?"

Helga rolled her eyes at Josephine like an exasperated mother to her obnoxious child. "Yes, I said something about a party. There's going to be parties practically every night in the General Room. You and Jack missed the first one, but you're not going to miss the second. That's why I've been waiting for you."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

***

When they entered the General Room, Helga quickly made her way toward a waving Fabrizio. Josephine would have followed, but her eyes were drawn to a woman who looked exactly like Rose. The same ivory skin, the same flame-colored hair, the same red dress with the overlay of sparkling black beading.

'Duh! That is Rose,' thought Josephine.

Jack was standing next to her while Rose was howling and clapping her hands with laughter. Josephine had never seen her look so happy, and even though she hadn't known her for a very long time, she had a feeling Rose hadn't looked so happy in ages. She was like a kid on Christmas, and Jack was the present she had been longing for.

Josephine smiled at her joy and then proceeded to look around the rest of the room. Rose wasn't the only one clapping and laughing, but she definitely looked the happiest. People of all ages packed the room. Some were smoking and everyone was drinking except, of course, for the children. Not everyone spoke the same language, but language was no barrier when drinking and dancing were involved, and plenty of dancing was involved thanks to the make-shift band providing music in the form of Irish folk songs.

'It's funny,' thought Josephine. 'It's practically like a party in my time.'

She decided to sit down at a small wooden table next to two drunken men who were arm wrestling. The man who won threw his arms in the air and cheered loudly like he had actually won something important. Then, he proceeded to take a victory swig of beer, while the loser took a drink to drown his sorrows.

That's when the two men noticed her sitting there. The winner, perhaps on a high from his victorious arm wrestling match, was the first to speak.

"Hi, there. That's a pretty dress you got on." From the way he was leering at her, she had a feeling he wasn't looking at her dress. Josephine groaned inwardly. Guys could be bad enough but drunk guys? They were like rabid dogs.

"Thanks," she grumbled.

"What's your name?"

"Josephine," she succinctly replied.

"Well, Josephine, would you like to dance."

Before she could answer, a man shoved a drink in her hand, exclaiming, "Drinks all around!" before tottering off.

Josephine, bewildered by the man's strange form of generosity but also grateful because the drink gave her an excuse to decline the offer to dance, lifted her glass and said, "Sorry, but I don't drink and dance."

It might not have been a very good excuse, but she didn't want to outright say no. The man looked perplexed by her answer but quickly turned his attention back to his friend who was demanding a rematch.

"Too bad," Jack lamented in her ear. "I was getting ready to ask you to dance."

Josephine turned toward him. "I suppose I could make an exception for you." He grinned and took her hand in his as she stood up. "Although, I should tell you I have no idea how to dance like this."

"Neither do half the people in this room. Just don't put too much thought in it."

They began to dance to the lively Irish jig. Josephine discovered that once she started moving around, it was actually quite easy not to mention fun. She felt like a child as she hopped and skipped along with Jack to the rhythm. "This is crazy!" she cried. Jack laughed in agreement.

The tune ended, and they stopped dancing. "So," Josephine prodded Jack, "Have you danced with Rose yet?"

He looked down at the floor. "No."

She glanced at Rose who was sitting at a table trying to understand a man who clearly couldn't speak English. "What are you waiting for?"

He grinned, more to himself than to her, then made his way over to Rose. The two soon began dancing. Rose was a little timid at first but she soon got into it, laughing while Jack twirled her around.

Josephine decided to make her way over to the table where Helga and Fabrizio were seated. "Hey, guys. This party's pretty kick, huh?"

"Yes," Helga said, "It's pretty _kick_ as you say."

Josephine just smiled and that's when she saw it. Well, not "it" actually—him. Cal's valet. He was standing on the stairs staring at Rose who was laughing in Jack's arms. Then he crept back up as quietly as he came.

Josephine got up quickly to follow him, ignoring Helga and Fabrizio's entreaties. She followed him into First class making sure to keep a good distance between them so as not to be too conspicuous. He entered the smoking room, and Josephine spied on him through the window on the door. The valet walked up to Cal, who was sitting at a table with a few other men. They were playing cards while their cigar smoke swirled around them like clouds in their own little elitist world. The valet whispered in Cal's ear. Cal looked angry for a second but quickly regained his composure then nodded at the valet.

'Well, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out what's going on,' thought Josephine. Cal sent his little lackey to spy on Rose. The nerve! He was not going to get away with this. She pushed the door open and marched over to Cal.

***

_I take your hand. It's warm. I pray that it stays that way._


	8. Wisdom and War

**Chapter 8: Wisdom and War**

Josephine decided not to waste any time. She went straight in for the kill. "What is your problem?" She stared straight at Cal, not caring that the other gentlemen were looking at her like she just escaped from a loony bin.

"My problem?" Cal answered. "What on earth are you even doing here?"

"Don't play innocent! I saw your little valet. What makes you think—"

Cal stood up. "Josephine, _please_…" He glanced at the other men who were obviously very amused. "Excuse me gentlemen. I'm afraid there's been some sort of misunderstanding." He took Josephine's arm and walked her out of the room. They made their way to the deck. It was cold out and the violent breeze only emphasized the chill. It whipped through Josephine's hair and stung her eyes. She stared at Cal through her watering vision. He said nothing but walked over to the railing and let out a heavy sigh that was lost in the roaring of the wind. Then he turned so his back was resting against the railing and spoke. "How could you embarrass me like that?"

Josephine shook her head. "Cal, you embarrass yourself. How could you send a spy to keep tabs on Rose like that? What are you her father? Is she out past curfew? Are you gonna ground her now?"

Cal looked flummoxed. "Wait. Ground her? What does that even—"

"Never mind. The point is you had no business doing that. What makes you think you can invade her privacy? What gives you the right? Why did you do it?"

"Because I know she doesn't love me!" Cal shouted suddenly.

Josephine was stunned by his brutally candid response. She stared at him, but he was doing his best to avoid her gaze. She struggled for something to say. "Well…," she began, "you're not exactly making yourself very lovable." She sighed then made her way next to him by the railing. "Do _you _love her?"

"I—" Cal's eyes looked like they were searching for something. "I don't know. I guess I love her… the only way I know how."

"Wow. That's really romantic," she replied sarcastically. "If I may, I'll solve your little dilemma for you. You don't love her. If you did, you wouldn't have to question it."

"I guess I've just been scared of losing her. She's been so precious to me."

"You talk about her like she's a possession not a person."

Cal ran a hand through his hair. "I know. I've been a fool. I am a fool."

Josephine gave him a knowing smile. "Congratulations. You just discovered yourself."

Cal looked at her in alarm but smiled back. "Hooray, I'm a fool." They laughed quietly then were silent, neither of them knowing what to say. The silence wasn't awkward, however, just pervading. The whistling wind was the only sound.

"This wind is driving me crazy," Cal said a moment later. "I look like a crybaby with my eyes all watery, but it's really just this obnoxious gale! Stop it!" he yelled at the air.

"Yell at it all you want it's still going to blow. Calypso must be restless tonight. She might be cooking up a storm."

"Let's hope she stays out of the kitchen," he joked.

She was always my favorite goddess."

"Really? Mine was Athena."

"Good choice. You know, I always found it interesting that Athena's the goddess of wisdom and war. I guess because a lot of people say there's not much wisdom in war, but I suppose it's one of those necessary evils and only a person of wisdom understands that. The way polar opposites can correlate like that has always been pretty fascinating to me. Like this ship for instance." She glanced around, surveying the beautiful yet deadly leviathan of a ship. "It's man-made technology at its finest, but it would be nothing without the ocean, something that man had nothing to do with…" Josephine noticed Cal staring at her intently. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"Ramble on. I've never heard anyone talk like you before."

"To be honest I haven't talked to someone like this since Calvin."

"Calvin?"

"Yeah. He's…we're close. Hey, even your names are similar. Anyway, Calvin was this conceited jerk who didn't seem to have an ounce of emotion, but he was really full of feeling. There were a million different things that I loved about him, and sometimes I can see those things in you. In fact, right now, being with you reminds me of how much I miss him."

"He sounds like a great guy. Too great to be compared to me."

Josephine cocked her head to the side. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You've got some pretty decent qualities buried underneath all that arrogance. As a matter of fact, I'm willing to let you be my friend."

"I'm honored," he replied with mock servility.

Cal took his dinner jacket off. "The first thing I'm going to do as your friend is let you wear my jacket. Something I should have done when we first got out here. It's freezing."

"I don't need your chivalry, Cal"

"This isn't about chivalry. This is a matter of you catching your death from the cold." Josephine rolled her eyes but took the jacket. She had to admit she was a lot warmer.

They both turned to stare out at the silky, seemingly endless ocean. Without looking at her, Cal said, "I'll let her go. I need to. Not just for her sake but for mine." Josephine didn't have to ask who he was talking about. She knew he meant Rose. She just nodded in understanding.

Calypso's calm now. The wind's died down," she whispered.

***

Josephine and Cal had parted ways awhile ago, and now she was wandering the boat deck by herself. She spotted a bench and decided to lie down on it. She gazed at the shimmering sky above her. She had never seen the stars so clearly before and the effect was awe-inspiring.

Her reverie was interrupted by two giggling voices. Jack and Rose were soon upon her.

"Josephine! What are you doing here all by yourself?" Rose asked.

"Just kicking back. It's quite calming out here."

"Calming and cold," Jack joked.

"I find it soothing."

Jack and Rose sat down next to her on the bench. "I'm sorry, Josephine." Rose said. "Jack and I didn't mean to abandon you.'

"Don't be ridiculous. I abandoned you."

"I guess we're too boring for Josephine," Jack replied.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Hey! I meant that as a joke."

"I know," she laughed. "I was joking too." Josephine noticed Rose was wearing Jack's dinner jacket. "You two look like you've gotten pretty cozy."

Rose blushed to match her hair. "We've just been talking."

"Yeah," Jack quipped. "We were discussing shooting stars."

"Jack said that when you see one, a soul is going to heaven."

Josephine smiled. "That's a pretty thought. However, on a less poetic note, shooting stars are really just small meteors moving rapidly and burning up as they enter the earth's atmosphere."

Rose and Jack stared at Josephine. Both wore the same confused expressions. They burst out laughing. "How do you even know that?" Jack asked, still laughing.

"I took an astronomy class in high school," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Is that really what a shooting star is?" asked Rose.

"Yeah."

"Wow. So, every time I see a shooting star, it's basically just a burning star," Rose said.

"I like my idea better," Jack replied. He cocked his head back and gazed at the sky. Josephine and Rose followed his gaze. When Josephine looked back down, she found Rose staring at her strangely. "Sorry to stare, but isn't that Cal's jacket?"

Josephine had forgotten she was even wearing it. "Oh, yes, it is. He let me wear because it was so cold out here. I meant to give it back."

"You two were out here?"

"Alone?" added Jack.

"Yes, alone. Calm down. We were just talking."

"Talking? To Cal? I feel sorry for you, Josephine," Rose said. "And I don't mean this as an insult to you, but the Cal I know would never lend his jacket to a third class passenger."

"I guess you don't really know Cal then."

Rose scoffed. "Cal never really seemed worth knowing."

Josephine thought Rose sounded harsh and insensitive. She stood up. "Everyone is worth knowing. If people took the time to get to know one another, even their enemies, they would find enough suffering and enough hurt to do away with all their animosity. If I hadn't taken the time to get to know you, I would've assumed you were just some pampered snob. If you hadn't gotten to know Jack, you would've thought he was nothing more than an ignorant bum. You can't go through life just scratching the surface of people."

She caught her breath. She hadn't meant to give such an impassioned little speech, but once Josephine got started on something, trying to stop was like trying to push the wind.

Rose opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it then glanced at Jack. Josephine glanced at him too and caught his eye. She could see that he knew her words were true but at the same time they had brought hurt. Truth and pain; wisdom and war; life and death—different concepts that were still connected.

Josephine smiled meekly at Rose to show that she felt no anger toward her. Rose returned it as mildly as it was given, and they both knew there were no hard feelings.

"I'm going to head in," Josephine said. "The cold doesn't feel as soothing anymore."

***

_You look so beautiful. So peaceful._


	9. An Unlived Life

**Chapter 9: An Unlived Life**

The next day was Sunday, as in Sunday April 14, 1912. The day the ship would hit the fatal iceberg and slip away from the world forever along with over half the people aboard.

It was also the day Third Class was holding a church service in the General Room. Josephine and Helga met up with Jack and Fabrizio there. It was a simple but fairly large gathering. They sang a hymn to start, and as they were singing, Josephine was amused to find that Jack had a terrible voice. Every note he sang was more off key than the last. She kept having to suppress her laughter while Jack glanced at her with a grin. He knew he couldn't sing, but he just shrugged and sang even louder.

After the singing was done, the preacher began to read from Revelation 21. Josephine thought it a rather macabre choice considering it was usually read at funerals. It was like he knew death was near. As he read each verse, Josephine felt tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes," he read. "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

She couldn't contain them any longer, and the tears flowed freely from her eyes. She wished there was someone to wipe them away, but she had to rely on herself. She promptly dried her eyes while glancing around hoping no one noticed her outburst. Luckily, no one had for she had been crying very silently.

'Why does this have to happen?' she wondered. 'I could probably stop this ship from sinking, but if I do that, something ten times worse could happen instead.' Josephine had to face the fact that the sinking of the Titanic was another one of those necessary evils.

With these thoughts buzzing in her head, she hadn't even noticed the service had ended until she saw people getting up to leave. Josephine was glad it was over. She usually found church to be peaceful but this service had made her feel like she was attending her own funeral.

"I need to get some air," she quickly told Jack. She brushed past him not even waiting for a response. She just had to get out and breathe in the comfort of the fresh sea air.

Once outside she began to relax, but the impending sinking still pervaded her thoughts. She received a welcome distraction from these thoughts by the appearance of Rose.

"Good morning, Josephine," she greeted.

"Good morning," she warmly replied, more grateful for Rose's arrival than she could ever know.

"I—I've been thinking about what you said all last night."

Josephine put up a hand to stop her. "Don't apologize, Rose. I may have gotten a bit carried away."

"But you were right. I was being unfair to Cal and a bit of a hypocrite. I derided him for never getting to know me, but I never took the time to get to know him." Rose walked closer to her, her eyes shining with excitement. "And now something so extraordinary has happened, I still can't believe it really occurred." Rose paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Cal has broken off our engagement."

Josephine was not surprised. After all, he had told her he would do just that, but she was a little unsure of how Rose would take it. Sure, Rose had never been Cal's biggest fan, but perhaps she was starting to see him in a different light. Maybe she wouldn't be as willing to let him go as she thought she would be.

"Are you okay?" Josephine asked timidly.

"Okay? I'm great! I mean, Cal isn't the terrible person I always thought him to be, but we're just not meant to be together. However, this means that Jack and I…" she trailed off as she looked down embarrassed.

Josephine put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Rose. I know that you're in love with Jack." Rose looked back up. "You should go to him. He'll be ecstatic to find out that you're free to be with him now."

Rose's face glowed with the ardor of her love for Jack. She made a move to go, but Josephine stopped her. "One more thing. Cherish each moment you have together because you never know when it will come to an end."

Rose scrunched her eyebrows together in consternation. "That's an awfully negative way of looking at things."

"I just meant life is short. It passes by faster than you realize. Don't take it for granted."

Rose smiled softly as she began to walk away. "I know." Then she made her way inside in search of Jack.

"Good," Josephine said quietly to herself.

It seemed so unfair to Josephine that right when Rose's life was changing for the better, it was soon going to change into something worse than she could ever imagine. She made her way over to the railing and sat precariously on the edge, her feet dangling. One false move and she could easily fall to her doom, never to be seen or heard from again, but somehow she wasn't scared. She felt comfortable in fact.

"You shouldn't sit like that," a voice said. Josephine turned to her right to see Cal standing there, hands in pockets. He walked up to her. "It's dangerous. You could fall and kill yourself."

"There are worse things in life than dying."

Even though he had just gotten through telling her it was dangerous, Cal sat down on the railing right next to her. "Yes, there are. Like someone you care about dying."

Josephine turned her head to look him in the eyes. "Are you afraid?"

"Of what? Falling off this railing?" he asked, his voice tinged with amusement, but Josephine wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"No," she said gravely. "Of dying."

Cal stared straight ahead, thinking before he answered. "I'm afraid of an unlived life, but death doesn't scare me too much. I agree with you. There are worse things than dying."

Josephine got off the railing, her feet welcoming the stable ground. "Cal, you should know that nothing in this life is indestructible or invincible or…unsinkable."

Cal got off too. "Is that what this is about? Are you afraid of something happening to the ship? It's perfectly safe. I assure you."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "That's just what I mean. Nothing is perfectly safe."

Cal put a soothing hand on her arm. "I know that. Don't be afraid, Josephine. If something terrible were to happen, I would keep you safe."

"I believe you, but sometimes no matter what you do, you can't keep someone safe."

"Then I would at least try to comfort you so even if you weren't safe, you would feel safe."

Josephine was warmed by Cal's words. She was trying to warn him that death was near, and all he was worried about was her. He was the antithesis of who he was when she had first met him. She had known he could be caring and right now he was proving that to her. He reminded her so much of Calvin it was almost spooky.

"It's not just this ship that worries me. I'm also scared I'll never make it home. What if I don't make it? My parents, Brooke—she's my best friend. I don't think I ever mentioned her to you— and Calvin…I won't get a chance to say good-bye. I won't even get a chance to say I love you."

"Do you love them?"

"Of course."

"Then they know. You don't have to tell them. Love is something you don't have to question."

Rose hit him lightly on the arm. "Hey, you're stealing my lines."

"Well, they're very good lines."

"True," she replied with feigned smugness.

"I haven't even told you what I came here to tell you." He looked at her with resolve. "I've done it."

"I guess you're presuming I know what it is you've done. It just so happens I do know, and Rose already told me."

"Ah, I see. I assumed it would be hard to let her go, but I thought of you, and it gave me courage. It was actually much easier than I thought it would be." He looked down. "I hope she's happy with him."

"Jack will treat her well…better than well."

Cal looked at her hesitantly. "Are…you in love with him?"

"What? No!" She couldn't believe Cal would even think that. The idea was absurd. "Jack is a great guy, but I'm not really in to the whole pretty boy Abercrombie & Fitch model thing. We're strictly platonic. I haven't known him for very long, but I can tell we will be nothing more to each other than friends, and that's the way I like it."

"I was just wondering. I was afraid you might be hurt if you saw him and Rose together."

"You have nothing to be afraid about."

"Good." He nodded then looked confused. "What's Abercrombie & Fitch?"

"Oh, just a clothing company. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so." Cal took out his pocket watch to check the time. "I guess I'd better get going. It's about time for lunch." He took her hand and pressed it lightly. "I'll see you again soon. I enjoy talking to you. I don't fear an unlived life when I'm with you." He quickly dropped her hand and walked away without another word.

Josephine was touched but also worried. If Cal was feeling something more than friendship, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to reciprocate it. Her heart was still full of Calvin. Calvin who she might never see again.

***

"_Don't worry," I whisper. "I'm here. I'll comfort you the best I can."_


	10. A Vision

Okay, first off, so sorry for taking so long to update, but hopefully this will be worth the wait(hee hee). I had a lot going on in my life—finals, my computer broke, and then I moved back to Oklahoma(I'll miss u Cali!), so that's my reasoning behind the delay. Anywho: ENJOY!

**Chapter 10: A Vision**

Josephine was about to make her way inside when she spotted Jack making his way toward her. He was grinning like a fool, and his face glowed with a warmth that could shame the sun. 'He must be happy that he and Rose can be together now,' she thought, but she had to wonder why he was here and not celebrating his requited love.

"What are you doing here?' she asked. "Shouldn't you be with Rose?"

"I was with her for a little bit, but she left to comfort her mother. She's not exactly pleased with the fact that her daughter's no longer marrying the illustrious Cal. Even though Cal said he would do all he could to make sure they're taken care of."

Josephine was confused. "Why would Cal need to take care of Rose and her mom? They have more money than anyone could possibly need."

"Not exactly. You see, all Rose and her mom have is their good name. In reality, they're in debt."

She couldn't believe her ears. Rose poor? It was amazing how deceiving the exterior could be.

Jack continued. "But what I can't believe is that Cal is willing to provide for them. Have you ever seen such a change in a person?"

"Probably not. But nothing's impossible or unsinkable."

Jack looked at her like she was a dog walking on its hind legs. "What kind of bizarre change of subject is that? What do you mean unsinkable?"

Josephine had to admit her segue into the impending sinking was less than smooth, but she felt like it was her duty to warn the people she had grown to care for about the upcoming danger. Maybe she couldn't tell them outright that the ship would sink, but she could at least give them a tiny hint.

"Well, you know how everyone's calling this ship unsinkable. That's impossible, you realize."

Jack gave a mischievous smile. "But you just said nothing's impossible."

"You know perfectly well what I mean. Please don't tell me you think this ship is incapable of sinking."

Jack gave an unconcerned shrugged. "This ship could sink, yes. But I'm not going to spend my time on it wondering if something terrible will happen. If you go through life always thinking about the worst case scenario, you'll never get to truly experience anything."

Josephine sighed. Jack was right, but she still felt worried. 'I'll just do everything I can to make sure Cal, Jack and Rose stay safe,' she decided to herself, 'After all, I know the ship is going to sink and forewarned is forearmed.'

Jack looked at her with a mixture of concern and humor. "I didn't realize you were so afraid of sailing." He puffed his chest out like a peacock. "Don't worry, milady. This ship may not be unsinkable, but I am unstoppable. I shall protect thee from danger."

Josephine raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Calm down tough guy. I think you should worry about yourself before you try to protect someone else."

Jack exhaled his chest. "You know I'm just kidding around. Look at it this way, ships sink all the time, and life goes on and so will yours…unless of course you die."

"That makes me feel so much better, Jack. Thank you."

"That's what I'm here for."

She smiled. Jack had a funny way of making the dreary into something bright, but she still felt encompassed by thoughts of the soon to be sinking. It was like a storm cloud was following her, and while Jack provided a momentary sun, the cloud eventually covered it up, shrouding her in darkness.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, but I feel exhausted somehow. I think I'm going to rest for a bit."

"All right. I should probably get back to Rose, anyhow. She's probably done mollifying her mother. Sweet dreams."

***

She didn't have sweet dreams. She didn't dream at all, actually. When she woke up and looked out the porthole, she was surprised to see an inky darkness instead of the sunlight she had expected. She had slept the whole day away. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her limbs and then made her way into the hallway. A glance at the clock on the wall told her it was 11:14 p.m. She felt the blood pounding in her ears. She couldn't believe she had slept for so long. In less than an hour the ship would hit the iceberg! She began running frantically down the hallway and eventually made her way to the deck. The fierce cold momentarily distracted her, but she quickly picked up her pace. She kept running until she made her way to the bow railing, nearly smacking into it. She was short of breath and freezing, but she kept her eyes straight ahead, staring into the placid, jet-black ocean. 'What do I expect to see?' she wondered. 'An iceberg floating far, far off in the distance?' She let out an exasperated sigh. She had been so freaked out about the collision being so near that she just ran for no reason.

She continued looking out at the ocean. It looked so calm, so smooth. It seemed almost impossible that something foreboding was lurking in the distance. She closed her eyes as the wind blew on her face and suddenly had a vision of the Heart of the Ocean. Her eyes snapped open. 'Why did I just think of that?' She remembered how eerily familiar it had been when Rose showed it to her. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen it before. Not only that, but she felt certain that she had seen some of the people onboard the ship before. She had the abrupt idea that maybe if she saw the Heart of the Ocean again, an ocean of memories would come flooding back to her. She turned around and walked with resolve as she made her way inside.

***

Josephine was standing outside of Rose's suite, knocking on the door. No one was answering. No one was there. She tried opening the door but of course it was locked. She jiggled the handle but to no avail. It wouldn't turn. She was beginning to feel desperate. She had to get inside to look at the necklace.

Removing the hair pins from her flowing mane she crouched down and proceeded to try and pick the lock. 'If it works in the movies, who's to say it won't work here?' After some difficulty, to her amazement she heard a click. She stood up and turned the handle. She couldn't believe she had actually done it. She figured locks in 1912 were easier to pick than the more efficient 2009 locks.

Inside Rose's suite she made her way over to the vanity and hoped the necklace would be there. She spotted the velvet case it was in before and held her breath as she opened it. She slowly breathed again when she saw the beautifully sparkling necklace lying inside, but then shook her head in confusion as nothing happened. She had expected some type of revelation to occur when she looked at the necklace, but there was nothing. She picked it up out of its case and held it as delicately as an egg. Suddenly, she saw something in her mind. Cal was putting the necklace on Rose's neck. He was saying something to her. Josephine could barely make it out, but it sounded like, "there's nothing I couldn't give you." Then, the vision was gone in a flash. She opened her eyes and found she was tightly clutching the necklace as if her life depended on it.

What she had just seen made her feel even more confused. "What was that?" she questioned aloud. 'It's strange, but I think I've seen it before.'

"Josephine?"

She jumped at the sound of her name and was surprised to find Cal standing there with his valet. Cal wore the pained look of a wounded puppy dog, while the valet looked accusatory.

"What are you doing?" Cal asked.

Josephine could barely think. She still was shaken by the strange image she had just seen. "I-I-," she stammered.

It was then that the valet spoke up. "Isn't obvious what she's doing? She's trying to rob you."

***

_It's quiet, but the silence is deafening_

** I am my own worst critic, but I still want to know what other ppl think so plz REVIEW


	11. Fragile

**Chapter 11: Fragile**

"What?" she cried. "I'm not trying to rob you."

Cal looked like he desperately wanted to believe her. "Then what are you doing in here?"

"I just wanted to look at the necklace. That's all."

Cal looked confused. "Just look? How did you even get in here?"

Josephine felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach. "I…broke in."

The valet shook his head at her with narrowed eyes while he smiled at her mockingly. "Look, " she said, "I know this looks and sounds bad but my intentions were pure. I really just wanted to have a look. Nothing more, nothing less."

Cal's eyes bore into her soul. "But why did you want to take a look?"

Josephine glanced at the diamond lying on the ground, almost taunting her. "I really don't know. I thought it might tell me something."

Josephine could tell her answer disappointed Cal, but it was the truth and not only could the truth hurt, but in this case, it was unbelievable.

"Sir, " the valet spoke up, "this is ridiculous. This woman is a liar and a thief. I cannot believe we are even questioning this. It is beyond obvious what she's doing here. I'm going to fetch the Master at Arms, and it might be prudent to restrain her because—

"Lovejoy, shut up!" Cal yelled. Cal walked a little closer to her, wearing the saddest face she had ever seen. "Just tell me what you were really doing in here." His voice was so pleading. He was almost willing her to give him a logical answer.

Josephine looked straight at him, her eyes never wavering. "I just told you."

Cal exhaled slowly then turned to face Lovejoy. "There's no need to fetch the Master at Arms."

Josephine was elated. He believed her! The odds were stacked against her, but he chose to have faith in her honesty.

Cal spoke up again. " Because I'll fetch him myself."

Then again maybe not. "No," she softly murmured. "Cal, I am your friend."

For the first time, Cal looked angry. "Friend? You only pretended to be my friend. You wanted to gain my trust so you could swoop in and rob me, and did I ever trust you. I even thought I might…but you're nothing but a heartless liar!" Cal regained his composure, smoothing his suit. "I'll leave Lovejoy here to keep an eye on you while I fetch the Master at Arms."

He walked out the room not even bothering to close the door behind him. Lovejoy sat down in a nearby chair, staring her down like a piece of garbage. "Well, aren't you an artful little hussy."

Josephine didn't even bother to make a retort. The normally retaliative Josephine was as drained as a withered plant. She couldn't get the image of Cal's broken face as he struggled to believe her out of her mind. Still, at the same time she was just as hurt as he was. He should have known deep down that she would never do something as despicable as steal from him. But Josephine could do nothing but wait for the Master at Arms to arrive like a prisoner waiting for the chopping block.

When Cal came back with the Master at Arms, he wouldn't even look at her. The Master at Arms promptly handcuffed her, making her hands feel like lead. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She looked at Cal who still refused to look at her. "Cal, you know I didn't do this."

Cal was silent. It was like she hadn't even spoken. She was a ghost to him. The Master at Arms was about to drag her away when they all felt some type of vibration go through the room.

"What was that?" asked Lovejoy.

Josephine knew exactly what it was. The ship had hit the iceberg. "It's happened," she whispered loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. They all looked at her, even Cal, but when she looked back, he quickly glanced away.

"What's happened?" the Master at Arms queried.

"This ship is going to sink."

He chuckled. "Now if that isn't the most interesting lie I've heard someone tell in order to get out of being arrested."

Josephine could have argued, but she knew no one would have believe her. She looked down to the floor, dejected.

"Well," the Master at Arms said, "I don't know what that was, but I'll find out after I transport this little thief." He started walking Josephine out the room . "Don't you worry," he said to Cal and Lovejoy.

***

Josephine was all alone. After she had been conveyed to the room the Master at Arms had brought her to, he handcuffed her to a pipe then left her. It had been some time since he had left and now water was seeping into the room. She had intended to keep her friends safe during the sinking, but now she couldn't even save herself. She slumped against the pipe not even caring if the water swallowed her up.

Time passed slowly, decaying away. The water now reached a little below Josephine's waist. She was sitting cross-legged on a nearby desk so as not to get wet while she thought of all the people back in her time who would wonder what had happened to her. 'They'll probably think I was kidnapped by some crazed lunatic,' she thought. 'Perhaps I was. Time seems to have gotten a hold of me.' Mostly, she thought of Calvin and how she never got to make amends to him. 'He'll never know that I still love him.' Thoughts of Calvin caused tears to stream from her eyes. 'Maybe my tears will speed up the drowning process,' she mused. 'I'll cry myself an ocean like Alice.'

The next thing she knew the door was thrown open and Cal was standing on the other side. Josephine was overjoyed to see him but at the same time wary. "Oh, hello. Was getting me arrested not enough? Have you come to watch me die?"

Cal wore the penitent expression of the prodigal son returning home. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Very, very wrong. I've come to get you out of here."

"Really? And how do you plan on doing that? In case you haven't noticed—" she shook the handcuffs against the pipe, the sound of metal against metal reverberating around the small room "— I'm handcuffed to a pipe. Are you planning on getting an axe and chopping them in half because something tells me that won't work."

Cal looked perplexed at the idea. "No, of course not. Don't be ridiculous. I have a key."

Josephine brightened. "A key? Now that will actually work. How did you get it?"

"An officer gave it to me."

Josephine thought that sounded strange. Officers usually didn't just go handing out keys to random passengers. "He just gave it to you?"

"Not exactly." He made his way over to her. Now that he was closer, she could see that his lips were a bruised purple and his face an ashen white. 'The water must be deathly cold,' she thought with a shudder.

"You see," Cal continued, "money may not be able to buy love, but it can certainly buy a lot of other things." He placed the key inside the lock and turned it. The handcuffs loosened, and she quickly shook them off, hearing a plopping sound as they landed in the water. She felt as if a great burden had been lifted off of her. She had resigned herself to die, and now she was free; free to live. She felt almost reborn. She looked with gratefulness into the eyes of her savior and...slapped him across the face.

"Hey!" Cal shouted. "What did you do that for? I saved you!"

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have needed to be saved in the first place."

"Yeah, I guess I deserved that." He rubbed his hand against his now red cheek. It stood out against the rest of his pale face.

"Hey, Cal. How did you find out I wasn't trying to rob you?"

He stopped rubbing his cheek and looked straight at her, his eyes burning into hers. "I didn't. I just realized something I said to you earlier."

"What's that?"

"That I'm a fool." They shared a smile. He had come to his senses and believed her even when the evidence was stacked against her. It was a true test of faith, and he had passed.

Josephine's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the sloshing water. "This room is filling up with water," she stated matter-of-factly. "We should probably leave."

"Good idea."

Josephine hopped off the desk and into the water. She let out a gasp of surprise. The water was shockingly cold. She instantly understood why it was called frostbite because the cold literally bit into her, straight down to the bone.

Cal gave her an apologetic look as if the freezing water was somehow his fault. "I wish I could say you'll get used to it, but you won't."

They made their way down the hallway, the cold causing them both to shiver like frightened kittens. Cal kept rubbing his hands on Josephine's shoulders to help warm her, but while she appreciated the gesture, it did nothing to allay the chill. They clambered up some steps and were now out of the water and in a long corridor. Cal was walking slightly ahead of her and with purpose. "Do you know where you're going?" she asked

"I've no clue, but I figure if I keep heading up, we'll be out on deck in no time."

As they neared the end of the corridor they noticed a huge crowd of third class passengers. When they got closer, they saw that they were all trapped behind an iron gate. "What's the meaning of this?" Cal questioned aloud.

Josephine understood instantly. They wanted to keep the steerage passengers away from the First Class ones. "It's so Third Class can't mingle with First."

Cal looked disgusted. "That's ridiculous."

"Welcome to Third Class" was all she said.

Cal grabbed her hand and maneuvered his way through the crowd, making it to the front. "Excuse me," he said to one of the crewmen guarding the gate. "You do realize if you don't open this gate we'll all die." The man just barely glanced at him without saying a word. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" Josephine put a calming hand on his shoulder. "Cal, it won't help."

"I've got to do something." He was clenching his jaw, clearly not happy about feeling so helpless.

"Just relax. We'll think of something."

He unclenched his jaw then looked around as if searching for a brilliant idea. He turned back to her. "Josephine, I believe that you weren't trying to steal the Heart of the Ocean, but why did you want to look at it?"

Josephine wasn't so sure about why either. She answered him as best she could. "When Rose first showed it to me, it seemed so familiar to me. I thought if I looked at it again, I might remember where I had seen it before."

"Did you?"

"No," she said disappointedly. "But it's the strangest thing. I don't think it's real."

Cal raised his eyebrows dubiously. "It better be real considering the amount my father paid for it."

Josephine waved her hand dismissively. "No, I didn't mean it's a fake diamond. I meant that it's a work of fiction…I guess. That doesn't even make sense."

"I don't know, Josephine, but I think right now we need to focus on getting pass this gate."

Josephine had almost forgot about their predicament but a quick glance around reminded her of the very real danger that they were in. "You're right," she agreed. "We have more important things to worry about than my slow descent into insanity."

Cal placed a steady hand on her arm. "You are not going crazy," he stated adamantly.

She felt comforted by his conviction. "I suppose you're right. Maybe I'm not going crazy. Maybe I'm just _going_.

"What do you mean? Going where?"

"I think by the time I figure that out, I'll already be there."

Cal said nothing but continued to hold onto her arm. He had the strangest look in his eyes. A look that seemed to say, _wherever you're going please take me with you!_ Josephine didn't know how to answer so she looked away instead. It was then that she heard her and Cal's names being called. They both turned to see Jack and Rose heading toward them. The moment or whatever it had been was broken, a glass lying shattered on the floor, unable to be retained. Life could be so fragile.

***

_Please stay with me. Please._

**Alrighty! Hope u liked. Reviews plz ******


	12. The Eye of the Storm

**Chapter 12: The Eye of the Storm**

Josephine and Cal headed in Jack and Rose's direction. "Finally, we found you!" cried Rose.

"We had no idea where either one of you were," said Jack. "And with the ship in such dire straits, we both got worried and decided to look for you, but this is the last place we ever expected to find you. What are you doing in steerage?"

Cal looked as guilty as a criminal caught in the act. He knew the reason why they were both in third class, but it was obvious he didn't want to reveal it. Josephine answered instead. "I actually came here looking for you, Jack. I was worried too." Cal shot her a quick glance but she pretended not to see it and continued speaking, "Then Cal came here looking for me." Cal looked at her gratefully, as though he had been dying of thirst and she had provided him with much needed water.

Rose laughed. "It would appear we've all been searching for each other ."

"Now we need to find a way out of here," Jack added.

Cal shook his head. "It's hopeless."

Jack looked up ahead at the steel gate, indomitable. He quickly pushed his way past the people and made it to the front. "Jack, wait!" Josephine yelled but her words went unheeded.

"Open the gate," she heard him say to the steward.

"Sir, please remain calm," the steward replied, clearly annoyed.

"Open the gate!"

"Remain calm!" he answered, he himself growing more anxious.

Before she had even noticed he had left her side, Josephine saw Cal standing next to Jack. "There are women and children down here! Let us out you heartless excuse for a man!"

The steward looked angry but also worried. People were starting to get more irate by the second, a ticking bomb threatening to explode at any moment. "I'm going to have to ask you two to step away from the gate."

Jack said nothing for a second, but then, suddenly, just lost it. He grabbed the gate with both of his hands and shook it with great force. "God damn it! You son of a bitch!"

The steward looked scared but made no reply, ignoring the outburst as if it had never happened.

Cal looked exasperated with fury. He made his way back to her and Rose with Jack following and sat down on a nearby bench, placing his head in his hands in despair. Josephine sat down next to him and positioned a consoling arm around his shoulders. Cal's head darted up then. He looked like he had just discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen . He got up quickly, grabbing Josephine's arm as well. "Get up!"

Josephine was not amused. "What is your problem?!"

"I don't have a problem. I have a solution." He seized the bench and started pulling on it. Jack, seeing what he was about, began helping him in the task. They managed to pry the bench from its bolts and held it up.

Josephine quickly went up to the crowd of people. "Move aside! Hurry up, hurry up! Move aside!" The people eventually cleared a path and Cal and Jack began running toward the gate and rammed into it with all their combined strength. It tore apart from its tracks while the stewards quickly ducked out of the way.

"You cannot do this!" a steward cried.

Cal and Jack rammed into the gate again, this time managing to pry it completely loose. The crowd surged through, a great exodus of frenzied people.

The steward remained obstinate. "You can't do this! You just can't!" he yelled as all four of them made their way through. Josephine, using all the might that her left hand could muster, punched him square in the nose. She smiled with more than a little satisfaction as she heard him wailing behind her, "My nose! I think she broke my nose!"

***

Josephine and her three companions were now out on the boat deck waiting to board a lifeboat in the midst of an even bigger crowd than they had left behind below decks. The officer manning the lifeboat was only letting on women and children, and this segregation was causing obvious turmoil, as children and wives sobbed in the lifeboat while the men remained on board the doomed ship.

Rose turned to Jack, looking scared yet resolute at the same time. "I'm not going without you."

Everyone turned their heads in alarm at the same time, but Jack spoke first. "What? No, Rose, you have to get on."

She shook her head stubbornly. "No, not without you."

Cal tried convincing her. "Rose, don't worry. Jack and I will both be okay, and you can get on with Josephine."

Rose looked contemplative, but when she gazed at Jack, Josephine knew she had not changed her mind, and her words confirmed it. "I'm not getting on without Jack." She nestled closer to him, taking his hand.

Jack held her hand tightly and held her gaze just as firmly. "Rose, please get on."

She just shook her head weakly but her decision was strong.

Cal lead Josephine away from Rose and Jack. "You've got to convince her to get on the lifeboat."

She rose her eyebrows in surprise. "Me? Why would she listen to me and not Jack?"

"Because Jack is the reason why she wants to stay behind, and besides that, she respects your opinion. I can tell. Who wouldn't?"

Josephine crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'm not so sure I want to get on myself. I don't want to leave you behind either."

"It's women and children only, Josephine. I will stay behind like a man of honor."

"I don't need your chivalry."

He stepped closer to her. "This isn't about chivalry. This a matter of life and death." He closed his eyes like he was conjuring up the strength to do something extremely difficult then he opened them. "Please, Josephine…I'm begging you."

Josephine unfolded her arms, letting them hang limply. "I bet you've never said those words to anyone in your entire life."

"Well, I'm saying them now."

She made no answer and walked over to Rose. "Rose, let's both get in the lifeboat together. It'll be fine. I promise."

Rose glanced anxiously at Jack so Josephine stood in front of him, blocking him from her view. "Come on, Rose. I can't get on the boat without you."

A rocket was fired at that moment, casting a beautiful glow over all of them, a temporary light in an otherwise dreary evening.

Rose dashed away the tears that had managed to escape her eyes. "All right. I'll get on."

From the corner of her eye Josephine saw Jack mouth "thank you". She smiled in response.

The officer loading the boat was searching through the throng of people. "I need more women and children!" he shouted.

Jack lead Rose to the front and the officer helped place her in the boat. Rose quickly turned around so she was facing Jack and grabbed his hand. Josephine stepped up next and was placed in the boat as well. She felt uneasy. She and Rose were safe, but what about Cal and Jack? The look on Cal's face wasn't helping matters either. He looked more melancholy than a newly made widow.

In one swift movement the officer pushed Jack to the side breaking his hold on Rose. "Step back, sir," he commanded. Then he shouted, "Lower away!" and the boat jerked down and began its slow descent.

She looked at Rose who was staring at the man she loved like she was memorizing every single last one of his features for fear she would never see them again. Then she gazed back at Cal and Jack, two very different men who both looked exactly the same at that moment—devastated. They were trying to look strong, but she could see through the façade. It was all an act, and she did not like this play.

Josephine's eyes were now fixed only on Cal. She could have sworn she saw the glint of tears in his eyes. She couldn't help but think how unfair it was that he was remaining in the same position while she was moving down. She didn't want to be moving down! 'No one wants to go down,' she thought with sadness. 'I should be going up. I feel as though I'm leaving the world behind'. Suddenly, while in the middle of these somewhat strange thoughts, Rose turned to Josephine.

"I'm sorry," she stated. Before Josephine could inquire as to what she was sorry for, Rose stood up and in one swift movement, hurled herself across the chasm separating lifeboat and ship. She landed in the promenade directly below the boat deck. Josephine could hardly believe her eyes.

"Rose! Nooo!!" Jack cried. Then he spun around, running for the direction of where Rose had landed.

Cal just stood where he was, looking baffled. He kept glancing back and forth between where Josephine was and where Jack had taken off to.

Josephine suddenly felt alone even though there were about sixty other people in the boat with her. Cal knew what she was about to do even before she realized it herself. "Josephine, don't!" he shouted.

But she did. She jumped out of the boat, landing in the same promenade as Rose. She felt dazed yet lucid at the same time. She began looking around the surplus of people, searching for Rose. She was no where to be found so she decided to head in the direction she thought she saw Rose running in, which was the right. Or was it left? She couldn't quite remember, but she went right anyway.

***

Josephine had been wandering by herself for about fifteen minutes, and she was scared, more than scared. She was terrified. The ship was noticeably tilting at an angle, and she wasn't just frightened of dying. She was afraid she was going to die all alone. She had searched endlessly for Rose, Cal, and Jack, but had found no sign of them. She was now sitting in the First Class smoking room. Several other people were in the room as well, but she paid them no mind as she sat listlessly at a table all by herself with a deck of cards before her. The sound of chatter and laughter could be heard as the people tried to mask their fear with the frivolity and fun of cards, drinking, and smoking. She began to play solitaire finding a companion in the lonely game. By the time she had finished the game, the smoking room was empty.

Josephine thought about going back out on deck, and it seemed the most logical choice, but she somehow couldn't find the fortitude to make her way there. She could tell that the ship was becoming more perpendicular as each minute ticked by, but still she stayed. It was almost like she was giving up. She shuffled the cards and made a disaster of it as the cards went flying everywhere. She got on the floor to gather the scattered cards. She hadn't picked up but five cards when she began sobbing. What a mess she had made of everything. She had lost track of her friends, and now she was all alone without the strength to even save herself. She longed for Calvin. If only he were here then she wouldn't care what happened. Even if she were to die, as long as he were wrapping his loving arms around her, she wouldn't mind one bit.

She didn't hear the person walk in the room, but she saw his legs standing before her. She knew it was Cal before she saw his face. He bent down to her level and held her as though she would fly into a million little pieces if he let go. After an eternity, he released her.

"Where have you been?" he asked her, his voice choked with emotion.

"I searched practically the entire ship for you guys, but I couldn't find any of you, so I just stayed here."

"Stayed here? Why didn't you go back outside and get on a boat."

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just didn't feel like trying anymore."

He stood up, helping her up in the process. "You can't do that. Don't you ever consider giving up."

She accepted his words like they were mandatory. "I won't. Don't worry."

She noticed that Jack and Rose were absent. "Where are they?"

"I told them we should split up and search for you, and if we couldn't find you after fifteen minutes, we probably would never find you…I've been looking for thirty minutes."

"Thank you" was all she could think of to say.

He said nothing in reply but took her hand. "We need to go out to the deck."

***

Outside the ship was utter pandemonium. People were pushing, shoving, shouting, crying, yelling. It was like being in the middle of a battlefield.

Josephine and Cal had searched in vain for a lifeboat and had now given up hope of ever finding one. "There are no boats left," Cal stated. "What do we do?" His voice was growing panicked.

Now it was Josephine's turn to be strong. "We need to stay on this ship for as long as possible."

"Right. Of course."

Josephine started heading up the stern but Cal stopped her. "Wait. I have to tell you something."

"Tell me then," she said somewhat impatiently, wanting to hurry up and move.

"I love you."

Any thoughts Josephine had of moving were melted away as she stood frozen in place. She couldn't think of what to say. Her mind was as immobile as her body. "Cal, I…"

"I know you don't love me back. It's okay. You love that Calvin guy. Every time you mention him your face changes. I would give anything for you to look like that as you thought of me, but you won't. And I can't change that. I just had to let you know how I felt."

She felt so many emotions all at once. Her thoughts were in a flurry as though a blizzard were happening in her mind. He was right. She didn't love him, not the way he wanted her to anyway, but that didn't stop her from feeling for him. "Cal, in another time, in another world, I think I could've loved you."

Cal smiled sadly. "I don't really care about what could have been or what might have been. Just know that wherever you go or wherever I go, my heart will follow you."

He began walking on then but this time Josephine stopped him. She placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him chastely but tenderly, a snowflake landing on a flower. She may not have been able to give her whole heart, but she could at least give him a piece of it.

He accepted her offering with gratitude. They stood for a moment, calm and uncaring of the danger around them, both of them the eye in the merciless, chaotic storm. Then hand in hand they walked on.

***

_I start to cry. I sing your song to stop the tears._

***There you have it! That was kind of a lengthy chapter, but I hope you thought it was a good one. It would be freaking sick if you REVIEWED! lol**


	13. Come Josephine

**Yes, I know. I'm sure you want to kill me for taking so long to update. I'm very sorry for the holdup, but my life has been kind of overwhelming lately. Two months ago I moved to Oklahoma, and now, I've moved back to California, which is a good thing but nevertheless, extremely stressful. And stress for me equals writer's block. So here it is, after a lengthy delay, the newest chapter!

**Chapter 13: Come Josephine**

Fear took hold of Josephine as she and Cal strained to climb up the increasingly tilting deck. They struggled on, finally making it to the stern rail. They both clung to it as if their life depended on it, and in all actuality, it did. Josephine could do nothing but stare at the doomed people all around her. Each glance at each frightened person was like staring into the face of Death, and Death, with all its finality, did not become her. She quickly shut her eyes, trying to block out the horror of the sight, but she could not block out the sickening sounds of sobs, shouts, and screams that seemed to reverberate into her very soul.

Cal, sensing her fear, tried to console her with humor. "Do you think it's too late to ask for a refund?" he asked in a shaky voice.

Josephine tried to chuckle, but it ended up sounding more like a sob. Cal grabbed her hand, holding it tighter than he clung to the rail as though she were his lifeline. She was glad for his presence. She didn't even want to imagine how she would fare through all this completely alone. "Thanks for trying to lighten the mood," she weakly stated.

Then, as if on cue, the lights flickered and died. Everyone on board gave one loud gasp. Now, they were all enveloped in an immense blanket of black. 'How can darkness seem so blinding?' she pondered.

"Josephine, please don't leave me," Cal said.

"Of course I'm not going to leave you," she replied reassuringly.

In the darkness, Josephine could see Cal's confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you just say something?"

Cal let out a little gasp of a breath. "No, when those lights went out, I was much too scared to think let alone speak."

Josephine's voice caught in her throat. "Oh gosh, I'm hearing voices."

He smoothed a hand over her hair. "Don't panic. We're gonna get through this."

By now, the ship had moved completely perpendicular to the ocean. It just stayed there for awhile. No movement whatsoever. Josephine was afraid to even breathe. She had the silly hope that perhaps the ship would stay pointed straight up forever, and nothing terrible would happen, and everyone would be safe. Her hopes were quickly dashed when a loud cracking noise ripped across the entire ocean. The sound of breaking wood could be heard as loud as thunder. Before she even had time to realize that the ship was splitting in two, the stern half fell back toward the water. Everyone on deck screamed like they were on a roller coaster headed straight for Hell. They hit the water, and the impact caused her to almost lose her grip, but she managed, with Cal's help, to hold on.

The stern began to move up until it was at a perfect ninety degree angle. People started falling, unable to hold on any longer. Passengers slid down the deck, hitting one another on the way down. The woman next to Josephine was barely gripping the rail. She couldn't hold on any longer, and she let out a piercing scream as her fingers slipped, and she fell down below.

"We need to move!" shouted Cal. He swiftly climbed over the railing and reached out his hand for Josephine.

She shook her head, too numb with fear to move.

"Josephine, don't worry! I've got you. You're not afraid to die, remember?!"

His words snapped her out of her trance and she quickly grabbed his hand and pulled herself to the other side.

The stern began to flood and slowly picked up pace as it plummeted down into the sea like a coffin being lowered into a seemingly fathomless grave. Josephine and Cal stared at the bubbling water below them. It was getting closer and closer by the second.

"Okay, listen to me. Just take a deep breath before we hit the water. The suction is gonna try to pull us in so just keep kicking and don't stop kicking. And under no circumstances do you let go of my hand."

She had forgotten she was even holding his hand. It was so impressed into her own that it seemed a part of her. "I got it," she replied with more confidence than she felt.

The ocean was now mere inches away from them. Josephine took in a huge gulp of air, and the next thing she knew, she was engulfed in water. Still holding Cal's hand, she kicked with all her might and with his help managed to surface. What she saw in the open air was utter chaos. Thousands of screaming people thrashed about like feral animals. Their cries for help were deafening.

Josephine was so cold she feared she would become frozen in place. Cal began swimming, pulling Josephine along. "Come on, keep swimming! Look for something, anything we can float on!"

They swam along, away from the throng of people. Cal spotted a floating wooden board, most likely a broken off piece of a staircase. "Over there! Come on, you can do it!"

They made their way over to it, and Cal helped push her onto it belly first. Then, he slithered on, lying on his back. His added weight caused it to sink a little but it steadied and managed to stay afloat.

He let out a sigh a relief, his breath forming a little cloud. "Don't worry now. We're safe."

Josephine shivered uncontrollably. "I-I don't feel so s-safe." She could barely manage to get her words out

"Just be patient. The boats will come back, and since we're out of the water, we'll be—we'll be fine." His words were a little stronger than hers but barely.

Josephine closed her eyes, hoping she could fall asleep and wake up back on board the Titanic before this had happened, back when the ship was perfect and beautiful and so full of promise. But there was no going back. She opened her eyes to face reality.

Her head was stiff from the cold, and she slowly turned it to look Cal in the eyes. "Cal, promise me that no matter what happens, you'll be strong. Don't worry about me. Some things are just meant to be, but you have to keep on living. Don't live an unlived life." She felt as though her words weren't just for Cal alone but for everyone in her life.

"Aren't I the one who's supposed to comforting you?"

"Maybe not," she replied. She grabbed his ice cold hand and felt a little warmed.

***

Time lapsed and the shouting had died down. The water quietly lapped back and forth. Josephine and Cal had been silent for some time, both of them too weak to speak.

"Josephine?" Cal stuttered.

She was too cold and tired to respond.

"Josephine?" His voice gained a little more strength. "Can you hear me?"

She could hear him but she could hear something else too. "Do you hear that singing?" she asked him.

"What- what singing?"

She sang along. "Come Josephine… in my flying machine going up she goes…up she goes."

Suddenly, there was a bright light and then nothing.

***

_Balance yourself like a bird on a beam_

****Reviews pretty please!! I'll love you forever!**


	14. The Revelation

**Chapter 14: The Revelation**

No, not nothing. Something. Josephine's image was a little blurry, but she could make out that she was in a small room with a bed in it. There appeared to be a person lying on the bed and someone sitting next to it. Then the diaphanous became transparent, and that's when she realized the person in the chair was him. Calvin. Seeing him made her feel lighter than air, a balloon floating skyward. She was too groggy to speak, but she noticed that Calvin was crying. He had his chair pulled close to the bed and was holding the hand of the person in it. He was singing, his voice choked with tears.

_In the air she goes. There she goes._

She glanced at the person in the bed who was evidently causing him so much grief, and with unutterable astonishment, Josephine realized that the person lying in the bed was her. Her memory came flooding back with shocking swiftness. She remembered everything now. She had been driving, and she was sleepy, very sleepy. She had fallen asleep, swerved off the road and crashed into a nearby tree. The rest was a blur. The ambulance. The paramedics. The hospital. She recalled hearing the words "internal bleeding" and "doesn't have long". The sickening reality of it all hit with the force of a pounding wave as she realized she was dying. Her time spent on the Titanic had been nothing but the last thoughts of a dying girl. That's why it had all seemed so familiar to her. She had placed herself in her favorite movie, using the characters to represent the people she cared about in her waking life. Jack was Brooke, and Cal was Calvin.

_Up, up, a little bit higher._

Josephine wanted to cry but found she couldn't. 'Perhaps the dying are incapable of tears,' she pondered despondently.

_Oh my! The moon is on fire._

She moved to Calvin to try to comfort him. "Calvin," she whispered. "Calvin, I'm here.

_Come Josephine, in my flying machine._

He didn't hear her. She wrapped her arms around him, and he stopped singing and looked up. He had felt her. She knew he had. She held him even tighter. "It's me. I'm here." She could only hope that her touch made her words more discernable. Calvin, you've got to promise me you'll move on. Moving on doesn't mean forgetting. You've just got to live your life without me. I won't ever really be gone." She looked him in the eyes and gently wiped his tears. "I'll always be just a memory away." She kissed him with all the love her heart possessed, and somehow, she knew that he had heard.

She released him, and Calvin looked around the room, searching for a presence that couldn't be seen. "Josephine," he whispered.

Then, she felt herself floating up. Up past the ceiling, past the hospital, past the sky, past everything. She felt free like she had unknowingly been imprisoned her whole life and was finally released from her cell. She didn't want to leave behind the world, and yet, at the same time she wasn't afraid

_Going up, all on, "goodbye"._

And in that last moment she found that although she wasn't able to stay, she wasn't unwilling to leave.

The End.

**** Well, it's finally done! I feel kind of sad now that I've finished it, but hope you enjoyed it. Also, just to let you know this fan fic was inspired by the movie "Stay". It's a really good film and you should definitely watch it, although by reading this I've kinda ruined the ending for you! Lol. I plan on writing more fan fictions so please check out anything else that I write. I would greatly appreciate it.**

**And I would also greatly appreciate REVIEWS! Please review. It's the final chapter so give tons of reviews for me to be happy with! Thanks for reading.**


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